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 . Metacritic characterized the reviews it cataloged as " mixed or average " , and the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus praised the special effects , action scenes , scores , 3D work , and the performances of Peter Cullen and Leonard Nimoy while criticizing the runtime and script . '' Dark of the Moon '' grossed over $ 1.1 billion worldwide , and is currently the 23rd-highest-grossing film of all time ( 4th-highest at the time of release ; behind '' Avatar '' , '' Titanic '' and '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 '' ) , the second-highest-grossing film of 2011 ( behind '' Deathly Hallows – Part 2 '' ) , the highest-grossing film in the '' Transformers '' series , and the tenth film to gross over $ 1 billion ( after '' Titanic '' , '' The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King '' , '' Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man 's Chest '' , '' The Dark Knight '' , '' Avatar '' , '' Alice in Wonderland '' , '' Toy Story 3 '' , '' Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides '' and '' Deathly Hallows – Part 2 '' ) . Like the first film , it was nominated for Best Sound Editing , Best Sound Mixing , and Best Visual Effects at the 84th Academy Awards . It was followed by '' Transformers : Age of Extinction '' in 2014 and '' Transformers : The Last Knight '' in 2017
84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
Transformers: Dark of the Moon