Following its release, the film sold 2,466,966 tickets in France. It was the 13th most successful film in France in 1971, far behind "The Aristocats", at the top of the box office with 12,481,726 tickets sold in the country. "Jo" was a small success for Louis de Funès, whose films usually attracted large popular interest. Most of the critics praised the performance of Louis de Funès but deplored the weak direction of Jean Girault, who admitted that de Funès was responsible for 60% of the gags used in the film.