Transformers: The Movie re-release rolls into theaters this fall
Hasbro and Fathom will bring the 1986 animated film back in 4K on Sept. 17, with tickets on sale Aug. 7.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Transformers: The Movie re-release plans are now locked: Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment are sending the 1986 animated film back to theaters in 4K on Sept. 17, according to Deadline.
The return was announced at Comic-Con over the weekend, where attendees also saw a new post-credits sequence tied to the rerelease, Deadline reported. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Aug. 7.
The film, directed by Nelson Shin, is one of the most remembered chapters in the animated Transformers canon, partly because it featured the death of Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen. Hasbro is folding the theatrical run into what it calls its “Apology Tour,” a year-long campaign built around that decades-old animated gut punch.
When is Transformers: The Movie back in theaters?
Transformers: The Movie returns to theaters Sept. 17 in a 4K presentation from Fathom Entertainment and Hasbro. Ticket sales begin Aug. 7, according to Deadline.
The rerelease is not limited to the United States. Deadline reported that the movie will also play in the UK and Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Mexico and Germany, with more markets still to be announced.
The new theatrical cut will include an exclusive addition to the original movie, according to Deadline. The report did not give further plot details about the added material.
Who is in the 1986 Transformers movie?
The animated feature included voice work from Orson Welles, Robert Stack and Leonard Nimoy. Deadline reported that Welles, Stack and Nimoy voiced Unicorn, Ultra Magnus and Galvatron, respectively.
The 1986 film arrived during the original Hasbro toy boom and was released by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. It earned $5.8 million in North America, according to Deadline.
The movie has long stood apart from the later live-action and CGI Transformers era. Paramount later turned the franchise into a multibillion-dollar theatrical machine with its live-action and CGI films, Deadline noted, and returned to animation with Transformers: One.
Transformers: One brought in $129.4 million worldwide, including $59 million domestically, according to Deadline.
What is the Transformers Apology Tour?
Hasbro’s “Apology Tour” is a year-long campaign acknowledging the death of Optimus Prime in Transformers: The Movie. The character’s death became one of the defining moments of the 1986 animated feature for fans of the franchise.
Fans waiting for the theatrical run also have a music tie-in to stream or buy. Deadline reported that The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition is available on major streaming platforms and vinyl, including the new single “Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way” featuring Sebastian Bach.
A new trailer for the 40th anniversary theatrical release has also been released by the official Transformers YouTube channel, according to Deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.