Transformers fans have embraced the opportunity to give Optimus Prime a proper tribute.

Marking the 40th anniversary of animated feature The Transformers: The Movie initially launching in August 1986, Hasbro and Fathom Entertainment teamed up for the theatrical rerelease, billed as a one-week opportunity that began Sept. 17. The response for The Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary has surpassed initial projections, as the remastered 4K animated film hit No. 7 on the weekend domestic chart and has crossed $5 million globally as of Tuesday.

The playful marketing strategy included Hasbro branding the film’s yearlong anniversary celebration as “The Apology Tour,” referencing the first act’s shocking death for beloved hero Optimus Prime. The rerelease also allows fans to pay respects to Peter Cullen — the longtime voice of the character — who died last month at age 85. Cullen delivers his final performance in the 12-minute animated short Optimus Prime: Awakening, a theatrical exclusive that screens following the 1986 movie.

“We’re thrilled at Fathom, but we also had high expectations,” Fathom Entertainment vp of marketing Shannah Miller tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This has been an extraordinary partnership with Hasbro. They kicked off the Apology Tour in honor of the 40th anniversary of the film, which also then means the early death of Optimus Prime, 26 minutes into the film.”

While the rerelease was expected to end on Wednesday, THR has learned that hundreds of movie theaters worldwide are continuing to run the film. Indeed, some cinemas have scheduled showtimes through Oct. 7.

As of Tuesday, The Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary stands as Fathom’s No. 3 highest-grossing 2026 title. It ranks behind top earner The Amazing Digital Circus, along with the rerelease of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Transformers property began its life with the Hasbro toy line that launched in 1984. It spawned an animated television series two years later.

From director Nelson Shin, The Transformers: The Movie made the risky choice of killing off a number of popular characters — most notably Optimus Prime, who led the Autobots in their battle against the Decepticons. With a voice cast that included Orson Welles, Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy and Robert Stack, in addition to Transformers mainstay Frank Welker as Megatron, the title grossed less than $6 million domestically for De Laurentiis Entertainment Group in the initial run but has amassed a cult following in the ensuing years.

Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer will serve as president of the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

The Tasmania-based iconoclast has spent more than four decades directing work that spans drama, black comedy and political engagement, building a reputation as one of Australian cinema’s most singular auteurs. His 1993 cult classic Bad Boy Bubby won the Special Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at Venice, while four of his films have since screened in Cannes’ official selection, including Ten Canoes, which won the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize in 2006.

“For any of us attending the Tokyo International Film Festival, it is a privilege. For me, as a filmmaker, it is even more so,” de Heer said in a statement. “The more films I manage to make, the fewer films I manage to see, especially on the big screen. But as a part of this jury, I have the duty, the obligation, to see at least 15 films and talk about them with other filmmakers! And not just any old 15 films, but the 15 films in Competition, drawn from films made all over the world by all sorts of extraordinary filmmakers! And to do this in a city that plays host to one of the most formidable film cultures in the world! Can life ever get much better than this?”

De Heer’s appointment aligns nicely with Tokyo’s 2026 Australia Spotlight, a special showcase within the festival’s World Focus section presented in cooperation with the Australian Embassy in Japan. The strand will include a screening of de Heer’s 2022 feature The Survival of Kindness, which competed at the Berlin International Film Festival and later won the FIPRESCI Prize there.

Tokyo festival director Takeo Hisamatsu said in a statement: “With his distinctive perspective and unwavering commitment to filmmaking, de Heer has spent decades opening up new possibilities in cinema. We look forward to the fresh dialogue and discoveries that his wealth of experience and deep insight will bring to this year’s competition and its diverse selection of films.”

De Heer has been a festival circuit regular throughout his career. The Quiet Room (1996) and Dance Me to My Song (1998) competed at Cannes, while The Tracker (2002) screened in Venice competition. Charlie’s Country (2013), another collaboration with acclaimed Indigenous Australian actor David Gulpilil, earned Gulpilil the best actor prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 2014.

The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival runs Oct. 26-Nov. 4, with TIFFCOM taking place Oct. 28-30.