In France, film attendance was typically low in July; "The Rules of the Game" ended its run at the Colisée Theatre after three weeks because of poor attendance. It later was shown at the Aubert-Palace in Paris. Renoir said of the attendance "I was utterly dumbfounded when it became apparent that the film, which I wanted to be a pleasant one, rubbed most people the wrong way." Renoir initially wanted to screen the film at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, but this idea was abandoned after the disastrous release in France.