 The Wanderers was released theatrically on July 13 , 1979 , by Warner Bros. Kaufman said the film initially had a " very small , limited " release . The director 's cut premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 1995 . This was followed by a 1996 theatrical re @-@ release in the U.S. due to the film 's popularity . In 2012 , the director 's cut of The Wanderers was screened to the Film Society at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts . 
