In one week, “Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Kingdom” attracted 1.883 million spectators in theaters. On Wednesday evening, the film had sold two million tickets… Where will the career of this long-awaited feature film end? We interviewed two box office experts.
Is this first week up to expectations?
“When a film starts at nearly 2 million, exhibitors can only be very happy,” notes Éric Marti, director of comScore, a company specializing in box office analysis. The figures ofAsterix reassure the whole industry. ” ” This week-end, Asterix will have exceeded 2.5 million admissions, more than any French film in its entire career since the Covid, underlines Richard Patry, the president of the National Federation of French Cinemas. So it’s been a very, very good first week. »
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We have to go back to January 2019 and “What have we done to God once more? » to find a start as good as that of the film by Guillaume Canet, which does better than the last film adapted from the comic strip, « Asterix and Obelix: In the service of His Majesty » (the latter had recorded 1.1 million tickets sold in seven days). However, this new one took off less quickly than “Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra” (3.7 million admissions during its first week), than “Asterix at the Olympic Games” (3 million the first seven days) and than “Asterix and Obelix once morest Caesar” (2.7 million tickets sold in one week).
How will entries evolve?
Éric Marti points out several encouraging signs for film attendance. First, its “beautiful outfit”: “The drop in attendance between the first and second Wednesday is less than 50%, which is quite low,” he notes. Then, the prospect of the winter holidays: “The box office will experience rebounds as the different areas will find themselves on vacation, which lasts until March 6. In Bordeaux, where the inhabitants are already on leave, we see thatAsterix achieves very good performance. »
Finally, the scores of the Ile-de-France suburbs: “They are very good. However, the Parisian periphery sets the tone for what happens next in the rest of France. According to the expert, attendance should therefore remain at a high level for at least a month.
What will be the final score of the film?
“Between 5 and 7 million admissions”, predicts Richard Patry. “Between 4 and 9 million”, advances more broadly Éric Marti. “We know that the comedy will exceed 4, but we do not know how the entries will evolve following the 4.5 million, specifies the boss of comScore. The 6 is in any case a perfectly realistic course. “It would also allow” Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Kingdom “to make profitable its production budget of 65 million.
What impact will word of mouth have?
Press reviews were mixed and negative comments flourished on social networks or on the Allocine.com site. “They are the last factor that has an impact on the entries of popular comedies! recalls Éric Marti.
With regard to social networks, the expert ensures that the first days of exploitation of a film are often conducive to a “surge” of negative opinions. “Canet’s film may not affect teenagers as much as Alain Chabat’s feature film (Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra), but the families come out happy from the sessions, judge Richard Patry. The comedy meets the expectations of this target. Anyway, the effects of word of mouth will be felt within a week.
Will the film suffer from competition?
The little Gaul has already seen a serious opponent land this Wednesday, “Alibi.com 2”. Philippe Lacheau’s comedy had accumulated 171,000 admissions the evening of its release (including around 80,000 in preview), but on Wednesday alone, Canet’s feature film was ahead of him by nearly 20,000 admissions.
Next Wednesday will be released the blockbuster “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”. Richard Patry believes in the “complementarity” of these three films: “ Asterix is a pure family film, Alibi.com 2 is especially intended for teenagers and young adults and Ant-Man targets 20-40 year olds. We should have an excellent winter holiday,” rejoices the owner of the exhibitors. Éric Marti also believes in a “ripple effect”: “When the halls are full, it encourages the public to come back. »
