The Transformers: The Movie has passed $5 million worldwide on its 40th anniversary re-release, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and theaters are holding it over into October.
When the extra dates went up, Hasbro's official Transformers account told fans, "Missed your chance the first time? Here's another." THR says some theaters now have showtimes as late as October 7th.
We broke down the opening numbers on Monday, and there's one update. Box Office Mojo's weekend chart now has it at 7th place, not the 8th we reported from Sunday's early numbers.
The day-by-day from Box Office Mojo:
- Thursday, September 17th: $1,052,609 (2nd for the day)
- Friday: $844,557
- Saturday: $1,369,312
- Sunday: $890,053
That's just over $3.1 million for the weekend in 1,454 theaters, and about $4.16 million for all four days. The weekend numbers are still marked as estimates, so they could change.
Saturday was the biggest day of the bunch, up 62% from Friday!
Those four days alone made 71% of what the entire 1986 run did!
The original run brought in about $5.85 million, so there's roughly $1.7 million to go. No weekday numbers have been posted since Sunday, so we don't know yet how much of that has already been made up.
Counting both runs, the movie has now passed $10 million at the North American box office.
Adjusted for inflation, that 1986 run would be about $17.9 million today, so the original is still WAY ahead based on my math. If you want to know how that first run played out, our complete guide digs into it.
THR says the release has beaten initial projections and ranks as Fathom's No. 3 title of 2026, behind The Amazing Digital Circus and the re-release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. "We're thrilled at Fathom, but we also had high expectations," said Fathom VP of marketing Shannah Miller. "This has been an extraordinary partnership with Hasbro."
It's all part of Hasbro's year-long Apology Tour, its tongue-in-cheek way of saying sorry for killing Optimus Prime in front of a theater full of kids back in 1986. The extended screenings still include Optimus Prime: Awakening, the new CG short after the credits with Peter Cullen's final original performance as Optimus Prime. Cullen died on August 26th at 85, three weeks before the re-release landed in theaters.
I caught it Tuesday night with my three boys, who are all technically adults now, and it turns out none of them had EVER seen it! They liked the film, but they felt it was a little rushed. Which, if we're being honest, it is.
The soundtrack split them two to one. I LOVE it, and I may need to dig into it in a future write-up, because I didn't realize who all of the names and bands on it were!
Regardless, it was a good night! Some of us have been listening to the soundtrack all week and we're getting together this weekend when we're done with FanX in Salt Lake City to watch some more Transformers 🤓.
Heading to the theater to watch the 40th anniversary re-release? Make sure of two things. Get there on time, because there's a tribute to Peter Cullen BEFORE the movie starts, and my screening didn't run any trailers first. Then, make sure to stay through the credits, even if the lights come up early like they did for us, so you don't miss Awakening on the big screen!
Showtimes vary a LOT from theater to theater, so make sure and check Fathom's listings or Fandango for screenings near you!
For collectors, Chris Prince's The Transformers: The Movie: The Ultimate Visual History hardcover is up for pre-order ahead of its November 24th release, and Shout!'s 40th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K steelbook lands a week earlier, on November 17th. Nobody has confirmed whether Awakening is on that steelbook. In the meantime, the 35th Anniversary Blu-ray is available now.
Do you think the re-release will catch the 1986 total before it leaves theaters? Who's going to the theater with you to watch it?
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