New York Times criticized the film in her 1979 review, saying "the movie never attempts to tell a single story" and instead "settles for a string of boisterous vignettes, which are heaped carelessly atop one another without any consistent scheme". A number of critics praised the film, including Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle, after its 1996 theatrical re-release. Stack noted Kaufman's talent for effectively changing the film's tone and praised the acting abilities of Wahl and Ganios. He also complimented the film's soundtrack. , the film has an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. Time Out praised the film, saying it "deliver[s] some great, gross, comic book capers; and rock history gets its most intelligent illustration since Mean Streets". Box office performance The Wanderers made $5 million at the U.S. box office and $18 million overseas, for a worldwide gross of $23 million. When asked about the financial success, Kaufman said the film had done "very well". Legacy Since its initial release, The Wanderers has gained a significant cult following. In 1988, Danny Peary said the film's "sensitive depiction" of teenagers coming-of-age was partly responsible for its cult status. Placing The Wanderers seventh in his list of "lesser-known" cult films, Neil Evans describing the film as a "lost masterpiece". Another writer described the film as a "near masterpiece" and called it "one of the best coming-of-age [films] ever made". On the film's popularity and cult status, Kaufman said: It took a long time for [the film] to find [an] audience. It's great to see that now—however many years later—[that] it went to a brief re-release by Warner Bros. [in 1996] because of the cult following. Bravo says it's the most popular film they've shown in the New York area. [The film was also shown] at the Telluride Film Festival. All [of] the people who run the festival are members of The Wanderers fan club, all wear Wanderers jackets, and [they] know every line in the film. They show the film at least twice a year up there [in Colorado]. There were about 1000 people outside, under the mountains and watching the film. It was a great night. Soundtrack Kaufman and Price compiled the soundtrack themselves. The film features Bob Dylan performing "The Times They Are a-Changin'", but the song was not included on the soundtrack album. References