In its eighth week of release, "Gukjesijang" became the second highest-grossing film of all time in the history of South Korean cinema, with 14.2 million admissions. As of March 1, 2015, the film has grossed US $105 million in South Korea.
Thailand location was used for Vietnam war scenes.
For its North American run, the film premiered in Los Angeles on December 31, 2014 where it drew over 6,000 viewers after four days of release, mostly first-generation Korean-American immigrants in their fifties and older. Beginning January 9, 2015, it expanded to 43 US and Canadian cities such as New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.