The final release print was made available in early December 1903. Edison sold it to exhibitors for , as a 740-foot reel. The first known showing of "The Great Train Robbery" was at a New York City dime museum, Huber's Museum. By the following week it was appearing at eleven venues in the city area, including the Eden Musée, a major amusement center. Edison advertising touted the film as "absolutely the superior of any moving picture ever made" and a "faithful imitation of the genuine 'Hold Ups' made famous by various outlaw bands in the far West".