The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[4] Andrew Johnston stated: "Most of Greenaway's signature visual devices (elaborate title cards, superimposed images) are employed here; but accompanied by U2 songs and traditional Asian music, instead of a Michael Nyman score, they seem fresher and more dynamic than before. The actors are required to submit completely to Greenaway's mechanics, but there isn't one bad performance. McGregor and Oida (as a venal publisher) are especially fine."[5]
Reviews were mixed to positive, as it currently holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 54 reviews with the consensus: "The Pillow Book is undeniably sensual and visually ravishing, but the film's narrative lacks the hypnotic pull of its imagery."
The film opened on 12 screens in the UK (including 6 in London), grossing £70,458 in its opening weekend and finishing in 14th place but with the highest per-screen average of £5,872. In London, it was the second highest-grossing film for the weekend behind Michael Collins with a gross of £53,925.[6][7] In the US, the film opened on 7 screens and grossed $105,922, for a large per-screen average of $15,132 and went on to gross $2.4 million.[3][8]
