Box office
Hell or High Water grossed $27 million in the United States and Canada and $10.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $37.9 million, against a production budget of $12 million.[2]
In North America, the film grossed $621,329 from 32 theaters in its opening weekend, for a $19,417 per theater average.[17] The following weekend, Hell or High Water expanded to 472 theaters, grossing $2.7 million (a per theater average of $5,709).[18] The film began its wide release at 909 theaters on August 26, and grossed $3.7 million over the weekend, finishing 12th at the box office.[19]
Critical response
Jeff Bridges' performance garnered critical acclaim and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.Hell or High Water was praised for revitalizing the Western genre.[20] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 288 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Hell or High Water offers a solidly crafted, well-acted Western heist thriller that eschews mindless gunplay in favor of confident pacing and full-bodied characters."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 88 out of 100, based on reviews from 47 critics.[22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[17]
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film four out of four, saying, "In ways large and small, Hell or High Water is a movie so beautiful and harsh and elegiac and knowing, the moment it was over was the moment I wanted to see it again."[23] IGN reviewer Samantha Ladwig gave the film nine out of ten, saying "Hell or High Water surprises with its complex narrative, stuns with its cinematography, and makes up for this summer's shortcomings."[24] Tom Stempel of Creative Screenwriting praised Hell or High Water as "a fresh, smart, bank robbery-character study and one of the best screenplays so far this year".[25]
Accolades
Hell or High Water received four nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Bridges, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
