Smokey and the Bandit
Reception
Reception
---------

### Box office

*Smokey and the Bandit* was a [sleeper hit](/wiki/Sleeper_hit "Sleeper hit"). It premiered at [Radio City Music Hall](/wiki/Radio_City_Music_Hall "Radio City Music Hall") in [New York City](/wiki/New_York_City "New York City"), where it performed badly. It then opened in just the South of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend and grossed $2,689,851 in 386 theaters. By the end of June, it had played in major Southern markets, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, grossing $11\.9 million. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. With an original budget of $5\.3 million (cut to $4\.3 million two days before initial production), the film eventually grossed $126,737,428 in North America, making it the [second\-highest\-grossing movie of 1977](/wiki/1977_in_film "1977 in film") (only *[Star Wars](/wiki/Star_Wars_%28film%29 "Star Wars (film)")* earned more, with $221\.3 million). The worldwide gross is estimated at over $300 million. Reynolds said in 2015 that he most enjoyed this film, and had the most fun making it, of his career.

### Critical response

Critical reception was largely positive. On the review aggregation website [Rotten Tomatoes](/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes "Rotten Tomatoes"), it has a 72% rating based on 36 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Not much in the head but plenty beneath the hood, *Smokey and the Bandit* is infectious fun with plenty of car wrecks to keep your eyes glued".

Film critic [Leonard Maltin](/wiki/Leonard_Maltin "Leonard Maltin") gave the film a good rating (3 stars out of a possible 4\) and characterized it as "about as subtle as *[The Three Stooges](/wiki/The_Three_Stooges "The Three Stooges")*, but a classic compared to the sequels and countless rip\-offs which followed". In his review in the *[Chicago Tribune](/wiki/Chicago_Tribune "Chicago Tribune")*, [Gene Siskel](/wiki/Gene_Siskel "Gene Siskel") gave the film two stars and complained that the film failed to tell the audience when the clock started on the beer run, thus reducing suspense. He claimed that the Bandit is never made aware of Frog's leaving Junior at the altar, which is why the Bandit continually asks why a Texas sheriff is chasing him. The film's editors, [Walter Hannemann](/wiki/Walter_Hannemann "Walter Hannemann") and [Angelo Ross](/wiki/Angelo_Ross "Angelo Ross"), were nominated for the [Academy Award for Best Film Editing](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Film_Editing "Academy Award for Best Film Editing").

[Alfred Hitchcock](/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock "Alfred Hitchcock") claimed that the film was one of his favorites. Upon meeting Reynolds, [Billy Bob Thornton](/wiki/Billy_Bob_Thornton "Billy Bob Thornton") told him that Americans from the region where the film is set consider the film to be less cinema and more documentary. *Smokey and the Bandit* was released in the United Kingdom on August 28 and was a success there, garnering positive reviews.

* [American Film Institute](/wiki/American_Film_Institute "American Film Institute") Lists
	+ [AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs](/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Laughs "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs") – Nominated
	+ [AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills](/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Thrills "AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills") – Nominated
	+ [AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains](/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Heroes_and_Villains "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains"):
		- Bandit (Bo Darville) – Nominated Hero
		- Bulford T. Justice \- Nominated Villain

How did the release date in the United Kingdom affect box office performance?