The painting was well received in Serbia and abroad; it has since attained iconic status in Serbian popular culture. An allusion to it is made in Emir Kusturica's 1995 film "Underground", in which war refugees are depicted marching towards Belgrade in similar fashion, following the German bombing of the city in April 1941. Several authors have noted similarities between Jovanović's depiction of the migration and images of other upheavals in Serbian history. Historian Katarina Todić observes that there are striking similarities between the painting and photographs of the Royal Serbian Army's retreat to the Adriatic coast during World War I. Judah remarks that the composition resembles images of the exodus of Krajina Serbs following Croatia's Operation Storm in August 1995.