Introduction

The latest installment of the Asterix and Obelix franchise, titled “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” premiered in theaters on February 1. However, the film did not meet the expected success, especially among critics. Despite featuring a star-studded cast, the audience did not connect with the storyline and found the humor to be overwhelming in this latest adventure of the Gallic duo. This is evident from its rating of 1.8/5 on Allociné. However, the film’s director, Guillaume Canet, expressed in an interview with Journal du Dimanche last May that he considers “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom” to be “absolutely not a failure” and highlighted the positive feedback he received from people, especially children, on the streets.

Gérard Darmon’s Defense

In a recent interview with Télé-loisirs, actor Gérard Darmon came to the defense of Guillaume Canet’s film. However, he also acknowledged that there were both positive and negative aspects to it. Darmon stated, “There were some very good and some not-so-good aspects. Yes, the film had a high budget and we could have expected more.” Despite this, when Canet approached Darmon to lend his voice to the character of Asterix, the actor declined, choosing to discontinue his participation in the franchise after portraying Amonbofils in the version directed by Alain Chabat. Darmon explained, “I promised myself never to make Asterix again, and I will keep my word. Alain Chabat’s version is enough for me. He is undoubtedly the best and will always be.”

The Film’s Performance and Global Success

With a budget of 65 million euros and approximately 4.5 million admissions in France, it may initially seem that “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom” did not achieve significant success locally. However, according to Ardavan Safaee, the president of Pathé, the reality is different. In an interview with Boxoffice pro on YouTube (via Allociné), Safaee stated, “With close to 5 million admissions, we are far from being ridiculous. Additionally, there are international releases and video revenues that are yet to come.” The film performed better internationally, surpassing two million admissions in other countries. This makes it the most successful French film abroad since the pandemic. It was released in 35 countries and generated a total of 13.4 million euros, according to Unifrance.