Beloved Neo-Western Cowboy Movie Officially Returns With New Release In 2 Months

Published Oct 14, 2026, 5:32 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. Urban Cowboy, one of the most iconic Westerns ever, is getting a brand-new release this fall. The James Bridges-directed film premiered in theaters in 1980, with John Travolta starring as Bud Davis and Debra Winger as Sissy. Living in Texas, the couple faces major turbulence in their relationship, with a bar named Gilley's at the center of Bud's attempt to repair their bond. Forty-six years later, Urban Cowboy is two months away from coming out on 4K Ultra HD (via Amazon). The release date is December 15, with the movie available in a two-disc package that includes a brand-new 4K scan of the original 35mm negative and a new audio commentary with film historians Daniel Kremer and Nat Segaloff. The second disc is a Blu-ray of Urban Cowboy, along with the audio commentary, the featurette Good Times with Gilley: Looking Back at Urban Cowboy, rehearsal footage, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a theatrical trailer. In theaters, the 1980s film Urban Cowboy grossed $46.9 million at the box office and received largely positive reviews, with a 71% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80% audience score. Scott Glenn, Madolyn Smith, Barry Corbin, Cooper Huckabee, and James Gammon also starred alongside Travolta and Winger. Music played a large role in Urban Cowboy, with the soundtrack featuring songs by Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Anne Murray, the Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Rogers and Linda Ronstadt, among others. Before this point in his career, Travolta had already made a name for himself after starring in the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, the disco film Saturday Night Fever (which earned him his first Oscar nomination) and the rom-com musical Grease. After Urban Cowboy, he went on to movies like Staying Alive, Pulp Fiction (his second Oscar nomination), Face/Off, Primary Colors, Hairspray, and Gotti, as well as the TV shows The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Die Hart. His most recent project is the action thriller The Gentleman Thief. Beyond Urban Cowboy, which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, Winger is also known foriconic films like An Officer and a Gentleman and Terms of Endearment, as well as A Dangerous Woman, Shadowlands, Radio, and Rachel Getting Married. In recent years, two attempts to reboot Urban Cowboy as a TV show have occurred. 20th Century Fox Television and Paramount Television tried in 2015, but they never picked up the series. Then Paramount+ announced its own remake in 2022, but with no updates since, the project may never get made. Even if there isn't a TV reboot, plenty of Westerns are still worth watching as the genre sees a resurgence thanks to Taylor Sheridan, and fans canrevisit the original Urban Cowboy when it becomes available on 4K at the end of the year. Urban Cowboy will be released on 4K on Tuesday, December 15, 2026. Release Date June 6, 1980 Runtime 132 minutes Writers Aaron Latham Producers C.O. Erickson, Irving Azoff Cast Madolyn Smith Osborne Pam