Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment are extending the run of The Transformers: The Movie after the 1986 animated film’s 40th-anniversary rerelease beat initial projections at the box office.
The restored 4K version opened Sept. 17 as a one-week event tied to Transformers Day, playing 1,454 North American locations. It took $3.1 million over the weekend, seventh place on the domestic chart, and passed $5 million worldwide by Tuesday. It outsold two new releases that had more screens: Ethan Hawke’s The Weight and the animated sequel Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. It did so on the weekend Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opened to $60 million.
The comparison with 1986 is striking. Box Office Mojo estimates put the four-day total at $4.16 million, roughly 71 percent of the film’s entire original domestic gross of $5.85 million. The weekend figure topped the 1986 opening of $1.78 million by about 74 percent.
Nelson Shin’s film killed off several popular characters, most notably Optimus Prime, in its opening act, a shock that stayed with a generation of young viewers. Hasbro turned that memory into a marketing angle, branding the yearlong anniversary campaign “The Apology Tour.” The cast included Orson Welles, Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy and Robert Stack.
Grief added weight to the run. Peter Cullen, the longtime voice of Optimus Prime, died last month at 85, and the rerelease includes a new 12-minute CG short featuring his final original performance in the role. On fan forums, some speculated that coverage of his death boosted interest. Others said theaters near them sold out weeks before it.
Direct comparisons with the original run need care. The 1986 release arrived in a very different cinema landscape, and one outlet cautioned that the rerelease total alone does not prove broader commercial success.
The official Transformers Instagram account has confirmed added screening dates, and 4DX showings are still listed in a limited window in the US. Those 4DX screenings are also planned for the UK. Final totals could climb well past the current figures.
