Rain Man of wet kitsch. Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four. "Rain Man" debuted on December 16, 1988, and was the second highest-grossing film at the weekend box office (behind "Twins"), with $7 million. It reached the first spot on the December 30 – January 2 weekend, finishing 1988 with $42 million. The film would end up as the highest-grossing U.S. film of 1988 by earning over $172 million. The film grossed over $354 million worldwide. "Rain Man" won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dustin Hoffman), Best Director and
Rain Man his brother. At a meeting with a court-appointed psychiatrist Raymond is shown to be unable to decide for himself what he wants. Charlie stops the questioning and tells Raymond he is happy to have him as his brother. Charlie takes Raymond to the train station where he boards an Amtrak train with Dr. Bruner to return to the mental institution. Charlie promises Raymond that he will visit in two weeks. Roger Birnbaum was the first studio executive to give the film a green light; he did so immediately after Barry Morrow pitched the story. Birnbaum received "special thanks" in the