The film was released in 1980, on the Moscow Central Television, as well as in theatres in Leningrad, Moscow, and across Russia, as a prequel to 'Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 2. Both films also ran in theatres across the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe.
The film and its sequel were also released in Germany in the 2000s (decade) under the title "Die Abenteuer der vier Strolche (1/2)" and the sequel "Die Abenteuer der vier Strolche (3/4)."