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 ... "Road to..." movie was planned, titled "Road to the Fountain of Youth"; however, Crosby died that year of a heart attack. In 1947, Astor Pictures released a compilation film of several of Crosby's Educational Pictures short subjects called "The Road to Hollywood" to evoke the series. The United States Navy also commissioned Hope and Crosby to produce the 1945 short film "Road to Home". In Sweden, the first film was given the title "Två glada sjömän går iland" ("Two Jolly Sailors Go Ashore"), which led to the subsequent films in the series all being given a title beginning with "Två