[27] The film was released alongside Fengshui, The Negotiation, and The Nun, considered the most competitive week on Korean Box Office this year.

[29] As of September 21, the film had been sold to over 32 countries, with release date in United Kingdom, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Singapore set in October 2018.

[32][33] Yoon Min-sik from The Korea Herald wrote, "Director Kim did a clever job of masking his actors' weak points and making the most of their strengths in this action-packed flick.

Jo's voice still seems out of place in a period piece, but his character refrains from making any more big speeches, taking action instead.

It is very unlikely that Yang Man-chun was in his mid-30s, or that there was a squad of beautiful women shooting blowguns, or a group of borderline super-soldiers fighting without their helmets, but this movie throws historical accuracy out the window and the result is a lot of fun.

"[32] Shim Sun-ah from Yonhap News Agency wrote, "Visually striking, imaginative and compelling, The Great Battle easily claims its status as one of the most impressive war epics to have come out of Korean cinema in a long time.

Since little is known about the battle and Yang Man-chun, making a tentpole based on long-forgotten ancient history with a relatively untested director was a massive gamble and could have gone horribly wrong.

However, he combined his energetic style with spectacular slow-motion sequences depicting every detail of the battle's ferocious brutality and the fear of the outnumbered Goguryo soldiers as they see the swarming Tang invaders.

"[33] Cary Darling from the Houston Chronicle wrote, "Director Kim Kwang-shik has a surprisingly keen eye for wide-screen, CGI-embellished action choreography that is often wildly impressive...

"[34] Richard Yu from Cinema Escapist wrote, "while The Great Battle excels at action-packed scenes and a fast-moving storyline, the screenwriting falls short.

[38] In the very last scene of the movie, the arrow shot by Yang Manchun, the general of Goguryeo, pierced through one of the eyes of the Tang dynasty emperors.

[41] During its opening weekend, the film topped box office with US$9.1 million gross from 1,128,374 attendance, leaving Fengshui and The Negotiation in second and third place respectively.