Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), directed by Michael Bay, is the fifth live action Transformers film, a 154 minute adventure in which Mark Wahlberg's Cade Yeager chases Merlin's staff from a junkyard to England. It earned $605 million worldwide on a $217 million budget. It is the sixth film in release order across the whole saga, and it sits eighth in chronological order, after Transformers: Age of Extinction and before the 1986 animated film.
Transformers: The Last Knight is about a hidden history of Transformers on Earth and a medieval staff that could decide the fate of two planets. The film opens in 484 AD, when the wizard Merlin meets a band of concealed Transformers called the Knights of Iacon and receives a powerful staff from them, which helps King Arthur beat the Saxons.
The story then jumps to the present day. Humans and Transformers are at war, and a government task force hunts down any robot it finds. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) shelters outcast Transformers in a scrapyard, and he ends up with a mysterious talisman taken from a dying robot. Far from Earth, Optimus Prime has left the planet and meets Quintessa, a being who wants Merlin's staff.
If you are new to the saga, this is the fifth entry in the live action run directed by Michael Bay, so it helps to know the earlier films, but the opening act explains enough to follow along. The Transformers movies in order guide shows where to start.
Transformers: The Last Knight Soundtrack and Score
Steve Jablonsky composed the score for Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), and the album "Transformers: The Last Knight: Music From the Motion Picture" was released by Paramount Pictures on June 23, 2017. It is a score album, which means the music on it is the underscore written for the film rather than a collection of pop tracks.
How big is the release? The album runs to 34 tracks, a generous running order for a single film, and it is the release that carries Jablonsky's work on this entry. He is the one composer credited with the score, so there is no second name to track down if you want to find who wrote the music behind the film's set pieces.
Are there songs in Transformers: The Last Knight? No featured songs are credited for the film's music, so the score and its album are the whole story here. If you are looking for a playlist of licensed tracks, this entry will not give you one, and the album is the better place to start for the film's own music.
Transformers: The Last Knight Plot, Full SynopsisSpoilers
In the full plot of Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Optimus Prime is corrupted, the Decepticons ally with Quintessa and Earth's core turns out to be Unicron. Optimus reaches the ruins of Cybertron and meets Quintessa, who turns him into the villain Nemesis Prime. She sends him back to Earth to fetch Merlin's staff, because with it she could drain Earth's core and restore Cybertron. Back home, Cade picks up the talisman from a dying robot, and Megatron and the Decepticons team up with the government to take it.
Cade is invited to England by the aged Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), who explains the long secret history of Transformers on Earth. Oxford professor Viviane Wembly (Laura Haddock) turns out to be Merlin's descendant and the only person able to use the staff. The group finds a crashed Cybertronian ship and Merlin's tomb, and opening the tomb wakes the Knights of Iacon.
The Decepticons, now allied with Quintessa, take the staff, and Megatron kills Burton at Stonehenge. Cybertron closes in on Earth and starts draining it, because Earth's core is Unicron, Cybertron's old enemy. Cade's talisman turns into Excalibur and the Knights accept him. The Autobots and humans attack Cybertron, and Viviane uses the staff to stop the draining. Optimus overcomes his corruption and defeats Megatron, and Bumblebee seems to kill Quintessa. The Autobots then leave to rebuild Cybertron.
Premiere, Release Dates and Transformers: The Last Knight Box Office
Transformers: The Last Knight premiered on June 20, 2017 at the Civic Opera House in Chicago, with the red carpet set along the Chicago River. Anthony Hopkins, Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock, Jerrod Carmichael and Isabela Moner (credited as Isabela Merced in the film) were among those who attended, according to ABC7 Chicago.
The US release followed on June 21, 2017, with the UK on June 23 and Australia on June 16. The Numbers lists South Korea as the first international opening, on June 20, 2017, a day before the US.
On the numbers, the film made $605 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, split between $130 million domestic and $475 million international. That is nearly three times its $217 million budget. It is also the lowest worldwide total of the first five live action films, behind Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction, with the last two both passing $1 billion. China was the biggest international market, at about $229 million according to The Numbers. The full table is on the Transformers box office page.
Ending Explained: Unicron, Excalibur and the Last SceneSpoilers
The ending of Transformers: The Last Knight settles the fight over Cybertron and Earth, then reopens it in one scene. Optimus beats Megatron, Bumblebee appears to finish off Quintessa, and Viviane's use of the staff stops Cybertron from consuming Earth. The two planets stay close together, and the Autobots leave to rebuild their home world.
Why does Earth need saving at all? Because Earth's core is Unicron, the old enemy of Cybertron. That is the idea that makes the whole film click, and it connects the movie to the rest of the saga, since Unicron is the planet sized villain of The Transformers: The Movie (1986) and returns as a threat to the Maximals in Rise of the Beasts.
The Excalibur beat is the other piece worth unpacking. Cade's talisman turns into the sword and the Knights of Iacon accept him, which is the film's way of saying the title belongs to the human, not to a robot. In my opinion that is the cleanest payoff of the Arthurian setup, and it is a set piece that lands because it was planted in the prologue.
It could be argued the ending asks a lot of a casual viewer. A government task force, a medieval staff, a corrupted Optimus and a planet in orbit all resolve inside one climax on Cybertron. Perhaps the film needed one fewer strand. The final scene, with Quintessa alive and tied to Unicron, points toward a continuation, but Bumblebee (2018) is a prequel set in 1987, so the saga did not pick it up. For the full order of events, see the Transformers timeline.
Post Credit Scene: Does Transformers: The Last Knight Have One?Spoilers
Transformers: The Last Knight has a short post credit scene, and it starts a few seconds into the credits. Quintessa, now in human form, walks through a desert to a group of scientists studying a huge horn sticking out of the ground. She warns them not to touch it because he would not like it, and when they ask who she means, she answers with one name: Unicron.
There is no separate mid credits scene, so you can leave once that moment has played. The scene confirms that Quintessa survived the climax and is set on a new scheme involving Unicron.
Filming Locations and Story Settings
The story of Transformers: The Last Knight moves from medieval England in 484 AD to the ruins of Cybertron. The present day scenes begin in Cade Yeager's scrapyard, where he hides outcast Transformers, and then shift to England, where Cade is invited by Sir Edmund Burton and Viviane Wembly works as an Oxford professor.
The key set pieces include Merlin's tomb, a crashed Cybertronian ship, Stonehenge, where Megatron kills Burton, and the final assault on Cybertron as it closes in on Earth.
Trivia and Where to Stream
Transformers: The Last Knight carries the highest production budget of any live action Transformers film, $217 million, a figure Box Office Mojo and The Numbers both report. Michael Bay directed, Steve Jablonsky composed and Jonathan Sela shot it, per TMDB credits. The Numbers lists South Korea as the first international opening, a day before the US release, and China was the biggest international market at about $229 million.
For streaming, JustWatch data via TMDB, checked November 3, 2026, lists the film in the US on Amazon Prime Video (also with ads), MGM+ and fuboTV, among other services. In the UK it is on Disney Plus, Paramount Plus and Sky Go, and in Australia on Disney Plus, Paramount Plus and Stan. Netflix is not listed in any of the three markets for this title. Rental and purchase options include Apple TV and Amazon Video. The full breakdown is on the where to watch Transformers page.
It earned $605 million worldwide on a $217 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, so it made nearly three times its cost. It was still the lowest worldwide total of the first five live action films, and its $130 million domestic gross was the lowest of the five. Whether that counts as a flop depends on how you weigh the sharp drop from the $1 billion plus earned by Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction.
Is The Last Knight the final Transformers movie?
No. It is the sixth film in release order and the fifth live action one, and it was followed by Bumblebee (2018), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) and the spinoff Transformers One (2024). In chronological order it sits eighth, ahead of only the 1986 animated film.
What made Transformers: The Last Knight bad?
Bad is a matter of taste, and readers disagree. What can be measured is the box office drop from earlier entries. The story also asks viewers to hold an Arthurian prologue, a secret history, a government task force and a planet closing in on Earth at once, which the ending explained section looks at in more detail.
Why is Megatron so different in The Last Knight?
Megatron is not working alone in this film. He and the Decepticons team up with the government to take Cade's talisman, and later ally with Quintessa. That partner role, rather than a lone warlord, is the main change in how he is used.
Is Optimus Prime in Transformers: The Last Knight?
Yes. Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime, who has left Earth at the start of the story and meets Quintessa on the ruins of Cybertron. He is central to the climax. See the Optimus Prime character page for his full history.
Are they making a sequel to Transformers: The Last Knight?
No sequel to The Last Knight has been announced. TheWrap reported on October 6, 2026 that Paramount said Michael Bay is in early talks to direct a new untitled, modern day Transformers film, with Steven Spielberg overseeing the franchise and Shia LaBeouf not returning. TheWrap also reported on June 11, 2026 that Jason Fuchs was hired to write the script. The film has no title, no cast and no release date. See the new transformers movie page for updates.
