via Pathé
Except for those who have diligently followed the saga from the beginning, it may come as a shock to many to discover that there is an ongoing comic franchise that predates Bryan Singer X Men and still churns out new installments on a semi-regular basis, though Netflix subscribers have proven to be keenly aware of Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdomits existence.
Per FlixPatrol, the fifth entry in the live-action series has cracked the streaming service’s global Top 10 after taking the top spot in 24 countries worldwide, establishing it as the eighth most-watched feature film across the platform worldwide base . Which is just as well, since it flopped in theaters after failing to recoup its massive $72 million budget.
There were some recasts along the way, with Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu initially taking on the two team roles, while The Middle Kingdom features Guillaume Canet and Gilles Lellouche as Asterix and Obelix. There was also a recurring habit of odd and unexpected cameos, with the fifth chapter neatly filling that role by roping in both Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and soccer icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic for some reason.
Largely bland and frivolous family-friendly adventures that aren’t exactly designed to capture the imagination on Marvel or DC levels, it doesn’t make it any less impressive that a whole host of comic book adaptations have quietly continued ever since. Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar hit the big screen in 1999, especially when you consider that Batman and Spider-Man have been rebooted three times since then.
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