The Middle Empire ”, the French film which has made the best start to the cinema for 15 years

It is the seventh best start of all time for a French film. ” Asterix and Obelix. The middle Empire “ was one of the most anticipated French films of the beginning of the year. Despite harsh and bad reviews, the film got off to the best start in fifteen years, with 466,703 tickets sold in France on Wednesday 1er february.

Read our review: Article reserved for our subscribers ” Asterix and Obelix. The Middle Kingdom”: the galley of the irreducible Gauls in China

The most famous of the Gauls slightly outstripped the figures of The Ch’tite family by Dany Boon, who had 451,530 admissions on his first day in 2018, according to CBO box office figures. However, it does not surpass the success of another Dany Boon film, Welcome to the Ch’tisreleased in 2008 and which had 558,359 admissions.

eleven years later Asterix and Obelix. For Her majesty (3.8 million admissions), the film was a challenge for its director, Guillaume Canet, who also succeeds Edouard Baer in the costume of Asterix. Guillaume Canet posted in story on his Instagram accounta screenshot with box office figures for French language films, adding ” Thanks “.

The film was released on 1er February in French cinemas. “’Asterix and Obelix’ is a franchise that is known all over the world [et] the film is already sold almost everywhere »except in China, Guillaume Canet told Agence France-Presse. “I want it to be seen around the world, especially because, compared to French cinema, it would be great for a film of this size to work so that there are others”he continues.

Risky bet of an XXL casting

After Do not tell anyone and the success of small handkerchiefsone of the most popular figures in French cinema, tackles his first blockbuster, and a national monument. “It was far from what I knew how to do! The special effects, the huge battle scenes… I wondered if I was going to be able to do it”, he recalls. Sign of the interest that the film arouses, it has been pre-financed by Netflix, which will be able to distribute it abroad.

Asterix is ​​heading for China in The middle Empiremaking the risky bet of an XXL casting, where Gilles Lellouche and Marion Cotillard rub shoulders with stars of football, rap and YouTube.

We needed actors that people “love”explains Guillaume Canet, in this case personalities “very popular”which speak to young people who no longer go to cinemas as much. “Great films like this represent the joy, the celebration of making cinema in a very free and very broad way, without chapel, without family, without compartmentalization”adds Gilles Lellouche.

However, it will be difficult to do better than Mission Cleopatra (2002), Alain Chabat’s success with more than fourteen million admissions, and lines that have become cult.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Asterix and Obelix: mission Cleopatra”: the Gallic magic of antagonistic duos

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