Transformers' Best Movie Officially Returns to Theaters in 1 Month

Published Aug 7, 2026, 12:42 PM EDT A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation." An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account. Transformers movies are now a regular event in movie theaters; there have been seven in the nineteen years since Michael Bay first brought the war between the Autobots and Decepticons into live-action in 2007. But 40 years ago, there was only one way to see bots battling on the big screen; a way that traumatized a generation of fans. Now, they can experience it all over again when the first and best Transformers movie returns to theaters in one month. 1986's animated extravaganza Transformers: The Movie exploded out of the TV screen and into theaters in a big way, opening with an entire world getting devoured by the monstrous transforming planet Unicron (Orson Welles, in one of his final roles). It then moved on to a climactic battle between Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Frank Welker) that left them both on the brink of death. Prime died, passing the mystical Matrix of Leadship on to Ultra Magnus (Robert Stack), while Megatron was transformed into the deadly Galvatron (Leonard Nimoy) by Unicron, and sent to get the Matrix by any means possible. Now, split up and stranded on two bizarre alien worlds, a ragtag group of Autobots, including turbo-revving young punk Hot Rod (Judd Nelson) have to get back to their homeworld of Cybertron before Unicron can chow down on it. Oh, and did we mention that there's also a robot biker voiced by Eric Idle who talks in TV gibberish and attacks the Autobots to the strains of Weird Al Yankovic's "Dare to Be Stupid"? Because that happens too. The 40th anniversary screening is part of Hasbro's year-long "Apology Tour" for the dramatic death of Optimus Prime (and Megatron, and Starscream, and many others) in the film; that includes concerts, merchandise, and, of course, more Transformers toys. The movie has been restored in 4K, and will currently screen from September 17 to September 21, and is expanding globally to Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Germany; large-format 4DX screenings are also available in the US and UK. If you want to relive the trauma, tickets to Fathom Entertainment's 40th Anniversary screenings of Transformers: The Movie are now on sale at FathomEntertainment.com. What Happens to Optimus Prime in 'Transformers: The Movie'? After a bruising battle with arch-foe Megatron, Optimus Prime goes to the big scrapyard in the sky in the first half hour of Transformers: The Movie. While parent company Hasbro was merely clearing the decks for a new wave of toys, children weren't prepared for the emotional scene of Prime saying his final goodbyes. Hasbro got so much angry feedback that they hastily altered 1987's G.I. Joe: The Movie, which was to feature the heroic sacrifice of Duke; in the final film, dialogue is re-dubbed to let concerned viewers know that getting impaled by a harpoon merely put the stalwart Joe into a coma. In short order, Prime was resurrected in the cartoon by the alien Quintessons to stave off a galactic "Hate Plague"; the character would return to toy shelves by 1988 as a mighty Powermaster, and has remained a stalwart of the franchise ever since. Transformers: The Movie returns to theaters starting on September 17; tickets are on sale now. Stay tuned to Colldier for future updates. Release Date August 8, 1986 Runtime 84 minutes Director Nelson Shin Writers Ron Friedman Producers Joe Bacal, Lee Gunther, Margaret Loesch, Tom Griffin Cast Norman Alden Hot Rod / Rodimus Prime (voice) Jack Angel Optimus Prime / Ironhide (voice) Michael Bell Soundwave / Megatron / Rumble / Frenzy / Wheelie (voice) Gregg Berger Galvatron (voice)