Transforming Westwood

How can one little would-be blockbuster compete against the ugly triad of “Spider-Man 3,” “Shrek 3” and “Pirates 3”?

For Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” the answer is going big -- really, really big.

In one of the biggest premieres held in Los Angeles, the Bay juggernaut -- about a race of alien robots trying to gobble Earth -- will take over not one, but four Westwood movie houses on June 27, with 4,000 seats available, not just for swank “Transformers” stars like Shia LaBeouf or executive producer Steven Spielberg, but for the public.

The premiere will be followed by a party in Westwood that is open to anyone who attends one of the screenings at the Landmark Regent, the Mann National, the Mann Bruin and the Mann Village.

The event is one of the tent poles of the Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs in Westwood from June 21 to July 1.

Tickets to be among the first to see the big-screen version of the cartoon/toy line -- “Transformers” doesn’t open to the general public until July 4 -- can be obtained now by paying $25 on top of purchasing a pass to the film festival. Premiere-only tickets will be sold beginning June 8.