▁release ▁with ▁an ▁estimated ▁budget ▁of ▁$ 1 6 ▁million , ▁the ▁film ▁gross ed ▁just ▁over ▁$ 1 . 7 ▁million ▁at ▁the ▁box ▁office . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁Ste el ▁was ▁crit ically ▁p anned ▁upon ▁its ▁original ▁release . ▁On ▁Rotten ▁Tomatoes , ▁the ▁film ▁has ▁a ▁rating ▁of ▁ 1 2 %, ▁based ▁on ▁ 2 6 ▁reviews , ▁with ▁an ▁average ▁rating ▁of ▁ 3 . 0 4 / 1 0 . ▁The ▁site ' s ▁cons ensus ▁reads , ▁" Ste el ▁is ▁a ▁badly - act ed ▁movie ▁that ▁indul ges ▁not ▁only ▁in ▁super h ero ▁cl ich és , ▁but ▁also ▁the ▁sa ppy ▁TV - movie - of - the - week ▁ones ." ▁Aud ien ces ▁pol led ▁by ▁Cinema Score ▁gave ▁the ▁film ▁an ▁average ▁grade ▁of ▁" B " ▁on ▁an ▁A + ▁to ▁F ▁scale . ▁ ▁Leonard ▁K lad ly ▁of ▁Vari ety ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁is ▁" to o ▁broad ▁and ▁epis od ic ▁to ▁attract ▁anything ▁other ▁than ▁the ▁most ▁und em and ing ▁crowd ." ▁Peter ▁Stack ▁of ▁the ▁San ▁Francisco ▁Chron icle ▁described ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁" tol er able ▁st ink er ▁of ▁a ▁film " ▁that ▁" plays ▁like ▁a ▁Saturday ▁morning ▁cart oon ." ▁Lawrence ▁Van ▁Gel der ▁of ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁is ▁" slow ▁to ▁gather ▁momentum ▁and ▁generates ▁little ▁excitement ▁or ▁t ension ." ▁Sh aqu ille ▁O ' Ne al ▁earned ▁a