This film is presented by St. Louis’s long-running cult film series Strange Brew and will feature a pre-film intro by Strange Brew programmer Jon Scorfina.

Hot off the heels of the massively popular Transformers television show from 1984, Hasbro Toys greenlit The Transformers: The Movie for release in the summer of 1986. Hasbro Toys had just one mandate for the film: Kill off the majority of the current Transformers and introduce a whole new line of characters so they could have a corresponding updated toy line. Unexpected to Hasbro, the few kids who saw it in theaters left crying, devastated that their favorite characters had been brutally killed. Parents wrote letters to the movie studio complaining about their children’s traumatic experiences. Soon a cult following developed among 80s kids in lunch rooms and playgrounds of elementary schools, discussing the excitement and trauma wrought by The Transformers: The Movie.

During its initial release, The Transformers: The Movie ultimately bombed at the box office due to heavy competition and lack of marketing. Now, however, it is a beloved cult classic, praised for its non-stop action, psychedelic visuals, and insane plot focusing on a new crew of Transformers valiantly trying to stop a planet-sized robot named Unicron from consuming the world.

The Transformers: The Movie features voice performances from Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron, Judd Nelson as Hot Rod, Robert Stack as Ultra Magnus and, Arkadin favorite Orson Wells, in his final film role voicing the ominous Unicron. The film is also note-worthy for its rockin’ 80s hair metal soundtrack, which includes “The Touch” by Stan Bush, “Dare to be Stupid” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, and an absolutely blistering version of “The Transformers (Theme)” by Lion. It may have initially been an 85-minute traumatic toy commercial, but its legacy is maximum fun. 

Come early for a Vintage Toy Commercial pre-show from 6 pm to 7 pm before the film as well as a pop-up toy store with vintage action figures by Toy Division! 

Bring a Transformer Toy for a $1.00 off Popcorn.

THEATER POLICIES

All seats are first-come, first-served.

The theater opens one hour prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events when the theater will open at the event’s start time.

All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.

Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.

If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.

Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.

When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.

All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.

Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.