Box office Million Dollar Baby initially had a limited release, opening in eight theaters in December 2004. In its later wide release opening, the film earned $12,265,482 in North America and quickly became a box-office hit both domestically and internationally. It grossed $216,763,646 in theaters; $100,492,203 in the United States, and $116,271,443 in other territories. The film played in theaters for six and a half months.
Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes,
Million Dollar Baby has an approval rating of 90% based on 269 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Clint Eastwood's assured direction—combined with knockout performances from Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman—help
Million Dollar Baby to transcend its clichés, and the result is deeply heartfelt and moving." On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars and stated that "Clint Eastwood's
Million Dollar Baby is a masterpiece, pure and simple," listing it as the best film of 2004. Michael Medved stated: "My main objection to
Million Dollar Baby always centered on its misleading marketing, and effort by Warner Brothers to sell it as a movie about a female
Rocky, with barely a hint of the pitch-dark substance that led
Andrew Sarris of the
New York Observer...to declare that "no movie in my memory has depressed me more than
Million Dollar Baby." In early 2005, the film sparked controversy when some
disability rights activists protested the ending. The Disability Rights Education Fund released a statement about the film in February 2005 that included the following: "Perhaps the most central stereotype fueling disability prejudice is the mistaken assumption inherent in the message of the movie that the quality of life of individuals with disabilities is unquestionably not worth living. This stereotype is contradicted by the personal experience of many thousands of people with significant disabilities in this country and around the world who view our own lives as ordinary and normal. It is further contradicted by plenty of hard data. Research overwhelmingly shows that people with disabilities find satisfaction in our lives to the same degree, or greater, than does the general public." The
Chicago Tribune reported that protests against the film by disability activists occurred in Chicago, Berkeley, and other cities, and that Clint Eastwood had lobbied for weakening provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Wesley J. Smith in
The Weekly Standard also criticized the film for its ending and for missed opportunities; Smith wrote "The movie could have ended with Maggie triumphing once again, perhaps having obtained an education and becoming a teacher; or, opening a business managing boxers; or perhaps, receiving a standing ovation as an inspirational speaker." Eastwood responded to the criticism by saying the film was about the
American dream. In an interview with the
Los Angeles Times, Eastwood distanced himself from the actions of characters in his films, noting, "I've gone around in movies blowing people away with a
.44 Magnum. But that doesn't mean I think that's a proper thing to do". Roger Ebert stated that "a movie is not good or bad because of its content, but because of how it handles its content.
Million Dollar Baby is classical in the clean, clear, strong lines of its story and characters, and had an enormous emotional impact". The Gaelic nickname for Swank's character comes from the original phrase
a chuisle mo chroí, meaning "O pulse of my heart"; one critic noted that the use of Gaelic in the film led to some interest in the language and the phrase.
Top ten lists Million Dollar Baby was listed on many critics' top 10 lists for films released in 2004. • 1st – A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis,
The New York Times • 1st – Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times • 2nd – Richard Schickel,
Time • 2nd – Lisa Schwarzbaum,
Entertainment Weekly • 2nd – Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader • 2nd – Claudia Puig,
USA Today • 2nd – Keith Phipps,
The A.V. Club • 2nd – Ty Burr and Wesley Morris,
Boston Globe • 3rd – Kevin Thomas and Kenneth Turan,
Los Angeles Times • 3rd – Jack Matthews,
New York Daily News • 3rd – Glenn Kenny,
Premiere • 3rd – Carla Meyer & Ruthie Stein,
San Francisco Chronicle • 3rd – Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone • 4th – Mike Clark,
USA Today • 4th – David Ansen,
Newsweek • 4th – Jami Bernard,
New York Daily News • 5th – Robert Koehler,
Variety • 5th – James Berardinelli,
Reelviews • 6th – Stephen Holden,
The New York Times • 6th – Scott Tobias,
The A.V. Club • 9th – Desson Thompson,
Washington Post • 10th – Nathan Rabin,
The A.V. Club • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Ron Stringer,
L.A. Weekly • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – David Sterritt,
Christian Science Monitor • Top 10 (listed alphabetically)– Shawn Levy,
Portland Oregonian • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Carrie Rickey and Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer ==Accolades==