The film was released theatrically on December 19 , 1984 by Universal Pictures . It received mixed reviews , with critics praising Spacek 's performance and the cinematography , but criticizing the screenplay , execution , and Gibson 's performance , whom many considered to have been miscast . It was a box office failure , grossing only $ 11.5 million against an $ 18 million budget . Despite that it received five nominations at the 57th Academy Awards including Best Actress ( for Spacek )
57th Academy Awards
57th Academy Awards
The River (1984 film)