Releases and sales. The film became an unexpected box-office success, grossingR$505.7 million on a budget of betweenR$22 23 million. It was the highest-grossing film of 1990. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 51.46 million tickets in the US.

One brain imaging study found that watching horror movies activates threat-response brain regions such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and insula as if the danger were real. After this rush, many people experience an elevated mood.