 According to the American Film Institute, "The Last Warning" had its theatrical debut in New York City on January 6, 1929.However, special advance screenings occurred on Christmas Day 1928 in several U.S. cities, including Chillicothe, Missouri, and Manhattan, Kansas.The film was marketed as a successor to producer Leni's previous film "The Cat and the Canary", attributed to producer Laemmle's "discriminating supervision."