Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a 2011 American science fiction action film directed by Michael Bay, and it is based on the Transformers toy line. It is the third installment in the live-action Transformers film series, and is the sequel to Revenge of the Fallen (2009). It is also the first film in the series that was not co-produced by DreamWorks, leaving Paramount Pictures as the sole distributor. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. Set two years after Revenge of the Fallen, it follows the warring Autobots and Decepticons' last days of the war as they battle to possess powerful technology from their homeworld crashed on Earth's Moon to restore their home. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Wheelie, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, and Barricade.

The script was written by Ehren Kruger. Dark of the Moon employed both regular 35mm film cameras and specially-developed 3-D cameras, with filming locations in Chicago, Florida, Indiana, Milwaukee, Moscow, and Washington, D.C. The film was rendered specifically for 3-D, and the visual effects involved more complex robots which took longer to render. Dark of the Moon's release date was moved from July 1 to June 29, in order to monitor an early response to footage.

Exclusive early premieres in both select 3D and IMAX theaters took place on June 28, 2011, one night before worldwide release in 2D and 3D (including IMAX 3D) formats—each featuring Dolby Surround 7.1 sound. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, voice acting, and use of 3D, while criticizing the runtime, storyline, performances, and screenplay. Dark of the Moon grossed $1.124 billion worldwide, and it was the fifth highest-grossing film of all time and the second highest-grossing film of 2011. Like the first film, it was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects at the 84th Academy Awards. The sequel, Age of Extinction, was released in June 2014.