Hasbro is staging a big-screen throwback event next month for its Transformers franchise, which is turning 40 this year.

The toyco is planning to release a package of four episodes from original 2D-animated series The Transformers (pictured) in select cinemas across the US, the UK and Mexico, plus a number of other regions in Europe, LatAm and Asia. It will feature exclusive content—the pilot episode, for instance, will have a split-screen display showcasing footage of a table read by the original voice actors—as well as a preview of the upcoming second season of CG-animated series Transformers: Earthspark.

Taking place on May 15 and the weekend of May 18/19, this theatrical stunt is part of a “Till All Are One: Transformers 40th Anniversary Event” campaign. But it should also build anticipation for the brand’s first-ever CG-animated feature film Transformers One, which is slated to premiere worldwide in September. 

Transformers has a strong track record at the box office, ranking as the 13th highest-earning film franchise of all time and grossing roughly US$5 billion to date. The first of its seven live-action blockbusters was released in 2007, although a cult-classic 2D-animated feature came first in 1986. The saga’s most recent release, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, racked up US$439 million last year against a budget in the range of US$195 million to US$200 million.

Well before all of this big-screen success, the IP actually made its market debut on toy shelves in 1984, and four seasons of The Transformers aired in syndication until 1987. A co-pro between Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions in the US, plus Japan’s Toei Animation and South Korean studio AKOM (which joined for season three), the premise of the series centers around an intergalactic war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.