The film was well received in the United States at the time of its release, and was popular with the American public. For example, Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" called the film "a truly superb accomplishment by a truly great artist" and "perhaps the most significant film ever produced." The film was also popular in the United Kingdom, drawing 9 million to the cinemas, despite Chaplin's fears that wartime audiences would dislike a comedy about a dictator. With domestic theatrical rentals of $3.5 million, it became the second highest-grossing film of 1940.