 The film opened to very negative reviews, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 12% based on 26 reviews.The critic consensus reads “"Firestorm" fails to ignite ex-pro footballer Howie Long's career...or anything else for that matter.”

The film was a bomb at the box office.It opened in 7th place with a paltry $3.8 million (behind six films that had all been released at least three weeks earlier) and took in only $8.1 million in the United States during its theatrical run.