Editing Citizen Kane (section)

===Reception from the public===
The film did well in cities and larger towns, but it fared poorly in more remote areas. RKO still had problems getting exhibitors to show the film. For example, one chain controlling more than 500 theaters got Welles's film as part of a package but refused to play it, reportedly out of fear of Hearst.<ref name="Carringer TMOCK"/>{{Rp|117|date=April 2012}} Hearst's disruption of the film's release damaged its boxoffice performance and, as a result, it lost $160,000 during its initial run.<ref name="Jewell">{{cite book |last1=Jewell |first1=Richard B. |last2=Harbin |first2=Vernon |title=The RKO Story |publisher=[[Arlington House Publishers]]/[[Crown Publishing Group]] |location=New York |date=1982 |isbn=978-0-517-54656-7}}</ref>{{Rp|164|date=April 2012}}<ref name="rko">{{cite news |last=Jewell |first=Richard |title=RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951 |publisher=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1 |date=1994 |page=45}}</ref> The film earned $23,878 during its first week in New York. By the ninth week it only made $7,279. Overall it lost money in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., but made a profit in Seattle.<ref name="Leaming OW"/>{{Rp|216|December 2014}}

Moviegoers who saw the picture generally spread negative word of mouth among their neighbors, and exhibitors in the United States and Canada weren't shy about voicing their reactions, as published in ''Motion Picture Herald''. A few theater owners were discerning, recognizing the startling new techniques but conceding bad boxoffice: "Is likely to make your auditorium resound from vacuousness like the giant stone walls in Kane's incredible castle. Boxoffice or no boxoffice, this unusual film is without doubt a step toward elevating the artistic plane of the motion picture in general."<ref>C. T. Cooney. Jr., Waldo Theatre, Waldoboro, Maine, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Dec. 13, 1941, p. 46.</ref> A college-town exhibitor reported, "I thought it was fine, as did the majority of people who attended the performances. However, there were some who either did not like it or did not get it. Business was just average."<ref>W. Varick Nevins III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, N. Y., published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Nov. 29, 1941, p. 70.</ref> "Don't try to tell me Orson Welles isn't a genius; herein he has produced a mighty fine picture, and herewith he has established for me the lowest gross that I have ever, ever experienced. I would have sworn that such ridiculous receipts were utterly impossible. If you cater to film connoisseurs, this picture is made for you. But me, I hurt all over."<ref>Delmare C. Fox, Fox Theatre, Alberta, Canada, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Feb. 8, 1942, p. 52.</ref> Others were more blunt: "Nobody liked this and said so. We took in just enough to pay for it so considered ourselves very lucky."<ref>Al Eliasen, Koronis Theatre, Paynesville, Minnesota, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', May 30, 1942, p. 45.</ref> "One day after showing this we still feel hesitant about walking abroad without an escort. Half of the few dozen that paid to see this masterpiece walked out, and the other half remained only to think up new dirty cracks to cast in our direction on the way out."<ref>A. C. Edwards, Winema Theatre, Scotia, California, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', May 23, 1942, p. 50.</ref> "High priced picture. But I made a little money on my help. They took off three days because they were afraid of being all alone in the theatre."<ref>Saul Korman, Grant Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Mar. 7, 1942, p. 78.</ref> "You can stand in front of a mirror and call yourself 'sucker' when you play this one. It does not have one redeeming feature. It will not draw; those that do come will not know what it is all about."<ref>A. E. Andrews, Emporium Theatre, Emporium, Pennsylvania, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Mar. 7, 1942, p. 78.</ref> A Minnesota exhibitor summed up the situation for rural areas: "My patrons still don't know what it was all about. Too long and too deep. No boxoffice value to small towns."<ref>E. L. Danielson, Castle Theatre, Mabel, Minnesota, published in ''Motion Picture Herald'', Mar. 7, 1942, p. 78.</ref>