Compared to the Marx Brothers' previous Paramount films, "Duck Soup" was a box office disappointment, though not a "flop" as sometimes reported. The film opened to mixed reviews, although this by itself did not end the group's business with Paramount. Bitter contract disputes, including a threatened walk-out by the Marxes, crippled relationships between them and Paramount just as "Duck Soup" went into production. After the film fulfilled their five-picture contract with the studio, the Marxes and Paramount agreed to part ways.