Trading Places four stars out of five, classifying "Trading Places" as "Excellent" per the magazine's star rating system, stating that Murphy and Aykroyd are the show-stealers. A review of the film published by "Variety" magazine called the film "a light romp geared up by the schtick shifted by Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy." The review gave further commendations to supporting actors, stating that Murphy and Aykroyd "couldn't have brought this one off without the contributions of three veterans - Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche and the droll Englishman, Denholm Elliott" and calling the presence of Jamie Lee Curtis "enjoyable." The film received several
Trading Places top ten grossing films for 17 weeks. It went on to earn $90.4 million during its U.S. theatrical run, making it the 4th highest-grossing film of 1983, behind "Flashdance" ($92.9 million), "Terms of Endearment" ($108.4 million) and "Return of the Jedi" ($252.5 million), and the second highest grossing R-rated film of 1983, behind "Flashdance". Adjusted for inflation, the film remains the number 58 highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. "Trading Places" was met with positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 86%, based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of