Asterix at the Olympic Games has kicked off its international career with a bang, topping the box office in most countries where it has been released.
The film directed by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann hit screens in Germany (its co-production country) last weekend. Released on 600 prints, it drew 350,000 spectators and jumped to number 1 on the national charts.
In Belgium, it pulled in around 200,000 moviegoers in 107 theaters, showing an impressive ratio of 7.8% for France/Belgium (compared to the current average at around 6%). The film ended its opening week with 265,000 admissions to its credit.
Results in Greece are also spectacular, with 170,000 admissions registered from 60 prints, outscoring the opening weekend results for the latest Harry Potter installment.
Russia, which topped international territories in terms of export receipts in 2007, also gave the film a warm welcome, posting 740,000 from 550 prints. Now in its second week on Polish screens, it is coming close to reaching 300,000 admissions.
Asterix has also got off to a flying start in Turkey, where 40,000 spectators have come out to see the 80 prints in circulation, ranking 5th at the box office overall and number 1 for a new release.
It has also hit the top of the charts in Austria (55,000 admissions from 75 prints), the Czech Republic (55,000 admissions from 25 prints), Hungary (50,000 admissions from 35 prints), as well as in Finland and Lithuania.
