"Hard Boiled" was released on April 16, 1992 in Hong Kong. The film grossed HK$19,711,048, which was not as strong as Woo's previous action films "A Better Tomorrow" or "The Killer". At the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards, David Wu and John Woo won the award for "Best Film Editing". Tony Leung was nominated for "Best Supporting Male Actor", but lost the award to Liu Kai-Chi in "Cageman". The North American premiere of "Hard Boiled" was in September 1992 at the Toronto International Film Festival. At the premiere the audience response was very positive with people stomping their feet and yelling at the screen. This reception surprised producer Terence Chang who did not expect such a positive reaction. "Hard Boiled" received wide release in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1993.