On the eve of its release, Asterix and Obelix, the Middle Kingdom had countless negative reviews. “It is painful to see”, for certain media, while others had fun by titling “the Empire of shame”. Many catastrophic marks were attributed to the film: 1/5 for Marianne2/5 for The world And First. Everything pointed to a huge flop for Guillaume Canet’s blockbuster released in theaters on February 1.
However, without anyone really expecting it, the film was a big success in the first days of its release. It would even be the “best start of a French film for 15 years”. Guillaume Canet welcomed this success, from Thursday, on Instagram: “Thank you to the first 466,703 spectators. The film would be the 7th best start of all time (including previews) for a French film, according to the Box Office of films in France and in The world.
By way of comparison, Asterix does better than The Chtite Family by Dany Boon, released in 2018, and its 451,530 admissions, and the Tuches 3, 401,000 entries. The best start for a French film remains Taxi 2801,922 entries, ahead Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Welcome to the Ch’tis, The Bronzed 3 And The truth if I lie ! 2.
Lots of entries, lots of bad reviews…
But such figures are not enough to guarantee the success of a film. Indeed, admissions to previews are counted in this figure, as for other successful films by the way. And the film team did not skimp on the means to attract people there. “It is still premature to say if it will be a big success as the first days suggest, or if the enthusiasm will drop,” notes Carole Vié, journalist specializing in cinema at 20 minutes.
It is not because a film begins in triumph that it will experience the same success in the weeks that follow. One might even think that this will not be the case at all for Asterix and Obelix, the Middle Kingdom. From a critical point of view, “It got off to a very bad start,” underlines Guergana Guintcheva, professor of cultural marketing at EDHEC. When you take a look at the opinions of viewers, it’s not glorious. Of the 2,743 ratings left on the Allociné.fr site, the average is 1.5/5.
While some find it a “masterpiece”, the majority of comments are very negative. “Seen in preview it’s a disaster nothing is right”, writes a user. “The only joke that made the audience laugh a little was Cohen’s slap on an old blind man, it’s in the trailer,” another commented. Or again: “We really wonder how with such a budget the film can be so flat and poorly designed…” In short, the mayonnaise does not take.
Characters and actors to seduce
According to the many visits, the film was rather expected on the side of the spectators. “There is an audience that is captive with Asterix and Obelix. An enormous emotional capital of the French, and it is in particular that which created expectations”, explains Guergana Guintcheva.
“The casting also contributed to raising expectations, and it must be said that for each Asterix, the poster is enticing,” adds the professor. This time, we can obviously find Guillaume Canet, but also Marion Cotillard, Gilles Lellouche, Jonathan Cohen, Angèle, Ramzy Bedia, Vincent Cassel… There is even an appearance by footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. Something to delight everyone, in principle…
“The marketing before the film’s release was very successful since the expectation was created in the viewer”, continues the specialist. “That’s why there are so many people from the first days in the hall. But obviously there is a significant discrepancy with the result. The spectators seem to have fallen from several floors in front of the screen, far from the expectations built.
Moreover, “for a film to be profitable and therefore really work, it must not only work in theaters. This part can account for a quarter, at most, of the receipts”, specifies Guergana Guintcheva. It is necessary to take into account all the other distribution channels: the paying channels in a second time, then the public channels. And it’s a safe bet that if Asterix and Obelix, the Middle Kingdom does not seduce in the cinema, few will want to see it again from their sofa.