Jumping to number 1 at the box office last weekend, the film by Alain Chabat triumphs in Quebec.
With 92 prints distributed by Christal Films, "Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra" had raked in C$630,000 in ticket sales by Sunday evening, representing approximately 100,000 admissions, thus eclipsing the previous record of C$400,000 in 3 days achieved by "Taxi 2."
By comparison, "Asterix and Obelix versus Caesar," admittedly released in a more modest fashion at the time (62 prints), had tallied C$370,000 on its opening weekend and its final score of $2 million looks set to be well and truly surpassed by its sequel.
The enthusiastic reception offered the film by audiences follows the equally positive reaction from the press in Quebec. Denis Côté from the newspaper "Ici" writes: "Alain Chabat harnesses all the comic potential imaginable to portray his widely appealing joyful fanfaronade... the Asterix series has found its cinematic embodiment." This view was shared by Eric Fourlanty from "Voir": "In his script and his direction, without resting on the laurels of Caesar, Alain Chabat has managed to remain true to the spirit of Gosciny and Uderzo, while at the same time making a sumptuous, inventive and above all an extremely funny film".
With already 4.5 million spectators to its credit outside France, the film should continue to conquer the international market in the months to come, with, in particular, its upcoming release in Spain slated for early July, Italy in September and the United States at the end of the year.
