Production notes

The film opened in South Korea on April 29, 2005, and went on to gross $241,914 domestically. It grossed $3,403,957 worldwide.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 92 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A tender and moving romance from Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring's director Kim Ki-Duk." The film holds a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 28 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted the "sophisticated modern sound design" exhibited in 3-Iron, and called the film "a teasing, self-conscious and curiously heartfelt demonstration of [Kim's] mischievous formal ingenuity." Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews called the film "an unusual original story that's rooted in a Buddhist parable [...] of seeing the world as a dream". James Mudge of Beyond Hollywood called it "an almost ethereal, yet truly captivating film which is fascinating and moving", writing that "it is quite likely that viewers will not even realize the lack of dialogue". Jamie Woolley of BBC.com gave the film three out of five stars, writing: "3-Iron isn't going to win any prizes for furthering of the cause of female emancipation. But if the snail's pace doesn't send you to sleep, you'll be rewarded with a tender and unusual love story."