later made available through the music streaming service Spotify. The soundtrack received mixed critical reviews. Hirsch praised it as a "charmingly old-fashioned romantic score". AllMusic's Jason Ankeny commended Eidelman for not relying on the "sweetness and sentimentality that capsize so many comedic scores", but he criticized the melodies as "leaden and unfocused, with none of the effervescence the genre demands". Release and box office The premiere of The Beautician and the Beast was held in Hollywood on February 4, 1997. The film had received a PG film rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) following a review at a Paramount screening room in Los Angeles. It received a wide release on February 7, 1997, through Paramount Pictures as a Koch Company production, and was shown in 1,801 theaters. Emanuel Levy believed the film was intended for "the Valentine's Day dating crowd". The Beautician and the Beast opened at number three in the United States box office, and grossed $4.1 million on its opening weekend. It earned $11,486,880 during its theatrical run; in 2015, Box Office Mojo estimated the film made $22,548,300 when adjusted for ticket price inflation. The Beautician and the Beast failed to meet its budget and was considered a box-office bomb. Drescher attributed the poor box office returns to the film debuting at the same time as the Star Wars "Special Edition" remaster. The VHS release debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Top Video Sales chart on March 21, 1998. Drescher provided audio commentary for the DVD version, which was released on June 24, 2003. The Beautician and the Beast was made available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video; it was also released on streaming services Netflix, between April 2015 and October 2015, and HBO Max upon its launch in 2020. In a 2020 interview, Drescher said the film continues to provide revenue for Paramount Pictures and has developed a following. According to Drescher, Paramount Pictures president Sherry Lansing described the film's longevity as evident through its high video and cable sales. Critical reception The Beautician and the Beast received primarily negative responses, holding a score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, praising Drescher's performance but saying audiences would be unable to empathize with her character, since "we never feel she's really uncertain, insecure or vulnerable". Film.com's Eric Snider criticized the plot for lacking humor