NASM visitors would view the film during its initial one-year run. The Lodi News-Sentinel reported in 1991 over 100 million people have viewed To Fly! at schools and on television. Earnings of the film were used for theater maintenance and financing future IMAX productions. It grew from $20 million in 1993 to $100 million in 1999. To Fly! was the third-highest-grossing IMAX documentary as of 2002, earning $113 million, behind The Dream is Alive (1985, $150 million) and MFF's Everest (1998, $114 million). The Numbers reported it grossed over $86.6 million within the US and Canada and $34.1 million elsewhere for a worldwide total of $120.7 million. According to a 2003 Duke University Press publication, however, it grossed more than $150 million worldwide. On the other hand, MFF reported $135 million as of April 2015. It was the highest-grossing documentary of all time before Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and remains the second-highest-grossing giant-screen documentary film after Everest. The film is the longest-exhibited documentary in the world, the longest-running sponsored Washington, D.C. film, as well as the highest-grossing sponsored film. It also set several other box-office records. According to The Numbers, it is—in the US and Canada—the second-highest-grossing 1976 film behind Rocky, which grossed $117,235,147, and above A Star is Born, which grossed $63,129,898. Reviews To Fly! was well-received by many film critics. John Alderson of the Chicago Sun-Times summarized his and others' reviews with: "The subject [of To Fly!] charms its imagination, while the IMAX format goes right to the brink of [audiovisual] sensory overload". Contemporary critics called it underrated and electric. The Washington Post called it a Washingtonian icon and a must-watch to all Washingtonians. The film was cited as an example of the role of screen size in amplifying cinematic thrills, the power of aerial photography, and IMAX as a form of cinematic travel; as well as a pioneer of cinematic kinesthetic responses, and coverage of science and technology. Multiple reviewers called To Fly! one of the best IMAX films; with David Handler of the Newspaper Enterprise Association dubbing it "the ultimate film trip". Carl Sagan said the film still astonished him after seeing it more than five times at the NASM. It was listed among the best films and documentaries of the 1970s. BioScience and the Michelin Green Guide called it a must for NASM visitors. The cinematography received universal acclaim for its vertiginous, aesthetic-induced thrills, equated to