Road to Rio $4.5 million in rental income in its initial release period in the United States and was placed sixth in the top-grossing films of 1947. The critics liked it, with "The New York Times" saying in its review of February 19, 1948, inter alia: "With Bing Crosby and Bob Hope on the tramp again in “Road to Rio,” recklessly scattering jokes and rescuing perennial girl friend Dorothy Lamour from dangerous hypnotic trances, there’s fun to be had at the Paramount. Maybe this is not the funniest picture ever made; maybe it is not even quite as rewarding as some of those
Road to Singapore that "Bing and Bob make up a swell team, with a resulting heavy bundle of laughs." John Mosher of "The New Yorker" found the film trivial but wrote that it "saunters along as easily as any of the collection" of comedies playing that week. Frank S. Nugent of "The New York Times" wrote a dissenting negative review, saying the film squandered its possibilities. He metaphorically called the road "cobbled with good intentions", but "altogether too uneven for regular use." Bing Crosby recorded three of the songs for Decca Records. "Too Romantic" was a big hit reaching the No. 3 position