Michael Bay's summer hit Transformers is to be distributed in IMAX cinemas, according to the giant-screen company and DreamWorks/Paramount. Having already grossed more than $300m domestically and $350m internationally since its release, the film will be digitally remastered for release on more than 80 IMAX screens worldwide September 21.

Asked why the IMAX version is following eight weeks after its conventional release, IMAX Filmed Entertainment chairman and president Greg Foster told Screendaily that the company was committed to the IMAX release of Warner Bros' Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix earlier in the summer. 'The Transformers [release date] just wasn't practical,' he said. The rescheduling (to 2008) of the release of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stone concert film Shine A Light, also to be presented in IMAX, opened a window for a Transformers release.

Foster said the company avoids simultaneous releases of different titles in IMAX, although it has happened in the past. 'We would not release two movies that were brand-new within a week of each other.'

He added, 'We're pumped to be a part of Transformers. Michael Bay is an incredible filmmaker. It has grossed over half a billion worldwide. So we feel very fortunate.'

'IMAX's all-encompassing format takes Transformers to a whole new level of detail and intensity,' said Bay, in a statement. 'I am very excited to work with the team at IMAX to create this turbo-charged version.'