# Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
**Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra** (French: *Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre*) is a 2002 French comedy film directed and written by Alain Chabat, adapted from the comic album *Asterix and Cleopatra* by [René Goscinny](https://www.edgepedia.org/rene-goscinny) and Albert Uderzo. It stars Christian Clavier as Asterix, Gérard Depardieu as Obelix, Jamel Debbouze as the architect Numérobis, and [Monica Bellucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/monica-bellucci) as [Cleopatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleopatra), with Chabat himself playing Julius Caesar.[1](https://asterix.fandom.com/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix%3A_Mission_Cleopatra) • [2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) Made on a budget of 50.3 million euros, described by AlloCiné as a record for a French film, it became one of the most successful French films at the domestic box office.[3](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| French release | 30 January 2002; runtime 107 minutes[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223) |
| Director and screenwriter | Alain Chabat, his second feature film[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) |
| Source | The comic album *Asterix and Cleopatra* by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo[1](https://asterix.fandom.com/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix%3A_Mission_Cleopatra) |
| Budget | 50.3 million euros (330 million francs), a record for a French film[3](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html) |
| French admissions | 14.5 million tickets sold, grossing $75.3m for Pathé Distribution[5](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article) |
| Worldwide gross | $131,116,046, of which $3,115,188 in the US and Canada[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223) |
| Principal cast | Gérard Depardieu (Obélix), Christian Clavier (Astérix), Jamel Debbouze (Numérobis), Monica Bellucci (Cléopâtre), Alain Chabat (Julius Caesar), Claude Rich (Panoramix), Gérard Darmon (Amonbofis)[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) |
| Restoration | 4K restoration in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos released in 2023 after almost two years of work[6](https://professional.dolby.com/en-gb/home-entertainment/case-studies/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatra-dolby/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, takes up a challenge from [Julius Caesar](https://www.edgepedia.org/julius-caesar): to prove the greatness of her people, she will have a sumptuous palace built in the desert in three months, and Caesar will have to concede publicly that the Egyptian people are the greatest of all peoples if she succeeds.[3](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html) She entrusts the task to the avant-garde architect Numérobis, who will be thrown to the crocodiles if he fails.[3](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html) Aware of the challenge, Numérobis calls on his old friend the Gaulish druid [Panoramix](https://www.edgepedia.org/panoramix), who travels to Egypt with Asterix and Obelix.[7](https://www.pathefilms.com/fr/films/asterix-et-obelix-mission-cleopatre/dvd-blu-ray-vod) Meanwhile the queen's official architect, Amonbofis, jealous at having been passed over, does everything he can to make his rival fail.[3](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html)
## Production
The film is a sequel to *Astérix et Obélix contre César* (1999), directed by Claude Zidi; Chabat was asked to give the filmed Asterix series a second chance after that film's poor reception.[8](https://www.letemps.ch/culture/alain-chabat-expilier-nuls-donne-asterix-une-deuxieme-chance-filmee-plutot-reussie) Chabat, a former member of the comedy troupe Les Nuls, wrote and directed the film and also took the role of Julius Caesar.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) The Depardieu-Clavier casting had already been settled from the previous film and, as Chabat said in an interview, suited him perfectly; for Cleopatra he chose Monica Bellucci.[9](https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2002/01/29/406646-pour-la-mission-cleopatre-alain-chabat-a-eu-du-nez.html)
**Crew and shooting.** The director of photography was Laurent Dailland, the editor Stéphane Pereira, and the composer Philippe Chany.[10](https://www.cinema-francais.fr/les_films/films_c/films_chabat_alain/asterix_mission_cleopatre.htm) Production companies included Katharina S.A., Renn Productions, and CP Medien AG, with Claude Berri as producer and Pierre Grunstein as executive producer.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) Shooting took place in Malta, Morocco, the Czech Republic, and Paris; IMDb lists [Ouarzazate](https://www.edgepedia.org/ouarzazate), Morocco, among the filming locations.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223) The supporting cast included Édouard Baer as Otis, Dieudonné as Caius Céplus, Isabelle Nanty, Chantal Lauby, Marina Foïs, and [Omar Sy](https://www.edgepedia.org/omar-sy) in a small role.[2](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d) • [10](https://www.cinema-francais.fr/les_films/films_c/films_chabat_alain/asterix_mission_cleopatre.htm)
**Uncredited contributions.** Jean-Pierre Bacri, who does not appear on screen, helped Chabat write some of the film's jokes, which were then used in the film, and provided the voice-over for the documentary about the lobster.[11](https://escalera.mkbg.eu/uploads/userfiles/file/c970985c-1f5d-4d76-b086-3d550a42d2cb.pdf)
## Box office
The film was the first European-produced film to pass $100 million internationally in 2002, standing at $105.6m by late September of that year.[5](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article) Most of that came from France, where it sold 14.5 million tickets and grossed $75.3m for Pathé Distribution, making it the second highest earner of all time in the country at that point, behind *Titanic* (20.8 million admissions in 1998).[5](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article) Other strong markets included Germany ($8.3m), Spain ($6.1m), Belgium ($4.5m), and Switzerland ($4.05m).[5](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article) Its final worldwide gross is recorded as $131,116,046.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223) Miramax opened the film in the United States the following year, where it grossed $3,115,188.[5](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223)
## Reception and legacy
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 88% Tomatometer score from 8 reviews and a 79% audience score from more than 10,000 ratings.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatre) Critics were divided at the English-language release: [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) found the film stayed "as flat as the cartoon strip from which it was adapted," while other reviewers rated it more favorably.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatre) In France it is widely treated as a cult comedy; [Le Monde](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-monde) has described it as a pillar of French comedy, and it is credited with establishing the film career of the stand-up comedian [Jamel Debbouze](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamel-debbouze).[13](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/07/25/les-bronzes-font-des-petits_3453682_3246.html) A peer-reviewed study of Asterix adaptations calls it the second film in the series of Asterix film adaptations and the most successful one in France so far.[14](https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docman/irua/667a7e/134891_2018_03_03.pdf)
**Restoration.** After almost two years of restoration work, the film was brought back to life in [Dolby Vision](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-vision) and [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos). Because it was one of the first features shot on 35 mm with entirely digital post-production, there was no final negative cut, and the team had to redo essentially all of the post-production twenty years later with the film's original crew, using a 4K scan in ADX format.[6](https://professional.dolby.com/en-gb/home-entertainment/case-studies/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatra-dolby/) Pathé released restored 4K UHD editions on 13 December 2023, with a running time of 107 minutes and bonus features including Chabat's audio commentary and a 115-minute making-of documentary.[7](https://www.pathefilms.com/fr/films/asterix-et-obelix-mission-cleopatre/dvd-blu-ray-vod) The restored version returned to cinemas, including re-releases in Poland with the original cult Polish dubbing.[15](https://institutfrancais.pl/kultura/aktualnosci/asterix-i-obelix-misja-kleopatra)
Chabat later returned to the Asterix universe, creating the animated Netflix series *Astérix and Obélix: The Big Fight*, and the film's humor, built on anachronisms and wordplay, remains closely tied to the [French language](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-language) for many viewers.[16](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/asterix-and-obelix-the-big-fight-release-date-voice-cast-plot-trailer-and-everything-we-know)
## References
1. [Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Asterix Wiki (Fandom)](https://asterix.fandom.com/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix%3A_Mission_Cleopatra)
2. [Asterix & Obelix: Mission Kleopatra, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/asterix-obelix-mission-kleopatra_ea43d4a6ce9b5006e03053d50b37753d)
3. [Astérix et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D28537.html)
4. [Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250223)
5. [Asterix on a Mission at international box office, Screen Daily (26 September 2002)](https://www.screendaily.com/asterix-on-a-mission-at-international-box-office/4010636.article)
6. [Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra – a cult film brought to life in Dolby, Dolby Professional](https://professional.dolby.com/en-gb/home-entertainment/case-studies/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatra-dolby/)
7. [Astérix Et Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre – DVD, Blu-ray & VOD, Pathé Films](https://www.pathefilms.com/fr/films/asterix-et-obelix-mission-cleopatre/dvd-blu-ray-vod)
8. [Alain Chabat, ex-pilier des Nuls, donne à «Astérix» une deuxième chance filmée et plutôt réussie, Le Temps](https://www.letemps.ch/culture/alain-chabat-expilier-nuls-donne-asterix-une-deuxieme-chance-filmee-plutot-reussie)
9. [Pour la Mission Cléopâtre, Alain Chabat a eu du nez, La Dépêche (29 January 2002)](https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2002/01/29/406646-pour-la-mission-cleopatre-alain-chabat-a-eu-du-nez.html)
10. [Asterix mission Cleopatre, cinéma-francais.fr](https://www.cinema-francais.fr/les_films/films_c/films_chabat_alain/asterix_mission_cleopatre.htm)
11. [Jean-Pierre Bacri et Mission Cléopâtre, Star/Mondadori France (PDF)](https://escalera.mkbg.eu/uploads/userfiles/file/c970985c-1f5d-4d76-b086-3d550a42d2cb.pdf)
12. [Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/asterix-obelix-mission-cleopatre)
13. [«Les Bronzés»: retour sur un film culte, Le Monde (25 July 2013)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/07/25/les-bronzes-font-des-petits_3453682_3246.html)
14. [Peer-reviewed author-version on Asterix and Cleopatra adaptations, University of Antwerp repository (PDF)](https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docman/irua/667a7e/134891_2018_03_03.pdf)
15. [Asterix i Obelix: Misja Kleopatra, Instytut Francuski w Polsce](https://institutfrancais.pl/kultura/aktualnosci/asterix-i-obelix-misja-kleopatra)
16. [Astérix and Obélix: The Big Fight – release date, voice cast, plot, trailer, WhatToWatch](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/asterix-and-obelix-the-big-fight-release-date-voice-cast-plot-trailer-and-everything-we-know)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2000 to 2002*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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