Box office
The film grossed NZ$1,263,000 in New Zealand on its opening weekend, the highest grossing opening weekend for a New Zealand film (as defined by the New Zealand Film Commission), ahead of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'s $912,000 record in 1999.[8][nb 1] It went on to gross NZ$12 million.
Internationally, as of October 2016, the film has grossed A$10,935,319 in Australia, US$507,380 in the UK and US$5,137,201 in North America.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople received a score of 97%, based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message."[18] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
In his review, Hamish Popplestone remarked: "Though both flawed, Neill's and Dennison's characters are so, so charming on-screen and are fully apt at weaving through the dramatic, comedic, and sad points of the script."[20] Empire magazine named Hunt for the Wilderpeople the number one film for 2016.[21]
