Reviews were mixed. Many critics felt the toned-down rape scene ruined the original message. It was a great success with audiences however. Attendance records were broken. One newspaper estimated that 125,000 people had seen the movie in its first weeks. Producer Lasky declared the last week of November 1921 'The Sheik Week'. He had the movie open in 250 theatres across the United States on 20 November. The movie ran for six months in Sydney, Australia. It ran for 42 weeks in one theatre in France. It was the first Valentino movie to show in his native Italy. Within the first year, "The Sheik" made more than $1 million. The film cost $200,000 to make.