Transformers: The Movie Rerelease Extends Past $5 Million

The 40th anniversary rerelease of The Transformers: The Movie passed $5 million worldwide, and theaters are now holding it over into October.

Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment launched the remastered 4K version of the 1986 animated feature on Sept. 17, billed as a one-week engagement for Transformers Day, part of Hasbro's yearlong 40th anniversary push. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the response surpassed initial projections, and hundreds of theaters worldwide are now continuing to run the film, with some cinemas scheduling showtimes through Oct. 7.

The rerelease hit No. 7 on the weekend domestic chart with $3.1 million from 1,454 North American locations and passed $5 million globally by Tuesday, per The Hollywood Reporter. comicbookmovie.com's day-by-day breakdown from Box Office Mojo shows roughly $4.16 million across four days — about 71% of what the film's entire 1986 domestic run of around $5.85 million earned. THR notes it outgrossed fellow newcomers Ethan Hawke's The Weight and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, both on more screens.

The surprise success is powered by Hasbro's tongue-in-cheek marketing: the anniversary celebration is branded 'The Apology Tour,' a nod to the film's shocking decision to kill Optimus Prime roughly 26 minutes in. Fathom VP of marketing Shannah Miller told The Hollywood Reporter, 'We're thrilled at Fathom, but we also had high expectations. This has been an extraordinary partnership with Hasbro.' The rerelease became Fathom's No. 3 highest-grossing 2026 title, behind The Amazing Digital Circus and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring rerelease.

The emotional core of the screenings is Peter Cullen, the longtime voice of Optimus Prime, who died Aug. 26 at 85, three weeks before the rerelease opened. Each screening pairs the feature with Optimus Prime: Awakening, a 12-minute animated short containing Cullen's final original performance as the Autobot leader, with Frank Welker returning as Megatron and Soundwave. comingsoon.net reports that Hasbro licensing and entertainment president Kim Boyd said Cullen showed generations of fans that 'strength and gentleness can exist together.'

With showtimes running through Oct. 7, comicbookmovie.com calculates the rerelease needs roughly $1.7 million more to match the original's 1986 domestic total, though it notes that run would be about $17.9 million inflation-adjusted. For collectors, comicbookmovie.com says Shout!'s 40th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K steelbook lands Nov. 17 and Chris Prince's The Transformers: The Movie: The Ultimate Visual History hardcover follows Nov. 24. Fans attending should arrive on time for the Cullen tribute and stay through the credits for the short.