After reports of vandalism and violence, Paramount Pictures temporarily halted their advertising campaign and released theater owners from their obligation to show the film.

In his book about the film, author Sean Egan summarized its appeal: "Whereas the milieu of The Warriors was one normally only depicted in motion pictures as an examination of a social problem, this movie portrayed life from the street gang's point of view.

The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island, send a delegation consisting of "warlord" (leader) Cleon; "war chief" (second-in-command) Swan; scout Fox; enforcer Ajax; graffiti artist Rembrandt; music-man Snow; bearer Vermin and soldiers Cowboy and Cochise.

Cyrus proposes a citywide truce and alliance to the assembled crowd, allowing the gangs to control the city together since they collectively outnumber the police by 3 to 1.

Most of the gang members applaud this idea, but Luther, the unbalanced and sadistic leader of the Rogues, shoots Cyrus dead as police officers arrive to raid the summit.

In the chaos, Luther realizes that Fox witnessed his actions and falsely accuses the Warriors of responsibility, leading the vengeful Riffs to attack Cleon fatally.

After Mercy, the girlfriend of the Orphans' leader, instigates a confrontation, Swan throws a Molotov cocktail, and the Warriors run to the nearest subway station.

Upon arriving at Union Square, Vermin, Cochise, and Rembrandt are seduced by an all-female gang called the Lizzies and invited into their hideout.

They narrowly escape the Lizzies' subsequent attack, learning in the process that the gangland community believes the Warriors murdered Cyrus.

After reaching the Union Square station, they reunite with the remaining Warriors and fight with a roller-skating gang, the Punks, which allows Mercy to prove herself in combat.

[12] Hill saw Thomas G. Waites as the next James Dean, and the director "invited the young actor to the Gulf and Western to watch movies like Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden for inspiration.

At one point, Waites threatened to report the working conditions to the Screen Actors Guild, forcing Paramount to provide a second trailer for the eight Warriors to share.

Baxley found a crew member who resembled Waites and staged a scene in which the character is thrown off a subway platform in front of an approaching train.

Actor Joel Weiss remembers that filming of his scene on Avenue A, in Manhattan's notorious Alphabet City, was canceled because there was a double homicide nearby.

For the big meeting at the beginning of the film, Hill wanted real gang members in the scene with off duty police officers also in the crowd so that there would be no trouble.

[16] Hill was underwhelmed by the script's depiction of Luther taunting the Warriors, and asked actor David Patrick Kelly for ideas.

[19] Paramount was prompted to remove advertisements from radio and television completely and display ads in the press were reduced to the film's title, rating and participating theaters.

Hill later remembered: "I think the reason why there were some violent incidents is really very simple: The movie was very popular with the street gangs, especially young men, a lot of whom had very strong feelings about each other.

"[13]After two weeks free of incidents, the studio expanded the display ads to take advantage of reviews from reputable critics including Pauline Kael of The New Yorker.

[27] Gene Siskel gave the film one star out of four, likening the dialogue to that of "Harvey Lembeck in those silly '60s motorcycle pictures" and concluding, "You would think after watching 'The Warriors' that gang membership was a victimless crime, save for the occasional sadist who pops up as comic relief.

"[28] Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called the film "an insightful, stylized and shallow portrayal of gang warfare that panders to angry youthful audiences.

"[29] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "None of Hill's dynamism will save The Warriors from impressing most neutral observers as a ghastly folly.

"[30] In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, "Another problem arises when the gang members open their mouths: their banal dialogue is jarringly at odds with Hill's hyperbolic visual scheme.

"[18] President Ronald Reagan was a fan of the film, even calling lead actor Michael Beck to tell him he had screened it at Camp David and enjoyed it.

In addition to remastered picture quality and a new 5.1 surround remixed soundtrack, the film was re-edited with a new introduction and comic book-style sequences between scenes.

[42] In July 2007, the "Ultimate Director's Cut" was released on Blu-ray and has since been available for online streaming rentals and purchases through Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.

In December 2023, The Warriors was released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by Arrow Video with both theatrical and director's cut included.

In 2005, Mezco Toyz released several action figures based on characters from the film, including Swan, Cleon, Cochise, Ajax, Luther, and a Baseball Fury.

In August 2023, it was reported that Lin-Manuel Miranda had begun work on a stage musical adaptation of the Sol Yurick novel that provided the basis for the film.

In December 2024, Lin-Manuel Miranda officially announced via an interview[51] with The New York Times, that he, alongside Eisa Davis would be adapting the well-received concept album into a full stage show.