diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityType.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityType.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityType.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityType.php
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@
   protected $revision_table = NULL;
 
   /**
-   * An array of entity metadata fields.
+   * An array of entity revision metadata keys.
    *
    * @var array
    */
@@ -392,11 +392,10 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function getRevisionMetadataKeys() {
-    // Add a backward compatibility in case the revision metadata keys are not
-    // defined in the entity annotation.
-    if (empty($this->revision_metadata_keys)) {
-      $class = $this->getClass();
-      $base_fields = $class::baseFieldDefinitions($this);
+    // Provide backwards compatibility in case the revision metadata keys are
+    // not defined in the entity annotation.
+    if (!$this->revision_metadata_keys) {
+      $base_fields = \Drupal::service('entity_field.manager')->getBaseFieldDefinitions($this->id());
       if ((isset($base_fields['revision_uid']) && $revision_user = $base_fields['revision_uid']) || (isset($base_fields['revision_user']) && $revision_user = $base_fields['revision_user'])) {
         $this->revision_metadata_keys['revision_user'] = $revision_user;
       }
@@ -423,7 +422,7 @@
    */
   public function hasRevisionMetadataKey($key) {
     $keys = $this->getRevisionMetadataKeys();
-    return !empty($keys[$key]);
+    return isset($keys[$key]);
   }
 
   /**
diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Sql/SqlContentEntityStorage.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Sql/SqlContentEntityStorage.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Sql/SqlContentEntityStorage.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/Sql/SqlContentEntityStorage.php
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@
       // If the entity is revisionable, gather the fields that need to be put
       // in the revision table.
       $revisionable = $this->entityType->isRevisionable();
-      $revision_metadata_fields = $revisionable ? array_values($this->entityType->getRevisionMetadataKeys()) : NULL;
+      $revision_metadata_fields = $revisionable ? array_values($this->entityType->getRevisionMetadataKeys()) : [];
 
       $translatable = $this->entityType->isTranslatable();
       if (!$revisionable && !$translatable) {
diff -u b/core/modules/system/system.install b/core/modules/system/system.install
--- b/core/modules/system/system.install
+++ b/core/modules/system/system.install
@@ -1751,8 +1751,7 @@
 
   foreach (\Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getDefinitions() as $entity_type_id => $entity_type) {
     if ($entity_type->isRevisionable() && $entity_type->isTranslatable()) {
-      $class = $entity_type->getClass();
-      $base_fields = $class::baseFieldDefinitions($entity_type);
+      $base_fields = $base_fields = \Drupal::service('entity_field.manager')->getBaseFieldDefinitions($entity_type_id);
       $fields_to_update = array_intersect_key($base_fields, $entity_type->getRevisionMetadataKeys());
 
       if (!empty($fields_to_update)) {
@@ -1772,13 +1771,22 @@
             $entity_definition_update_manager->installFieldStorageDefinition($revision_metadata_field_name, $entity_type_id, $entity_type->getProvider(), $definition);
 
             // Collect the revision ids only once for an entity type.
-            $revisions = isset($revisions) ? $revisions : \Drupal::entityQuery($entity_type_id)
+            $revisions = isset($revisions) ? $revisions : array_keys(\Drupal::entityQuery($entity_type_id)
               ->allRevisions()
-              ->execute();
+              ->execute());
+
+            if (!isset($sandbox['progress'])) {
+              // This must be the first run. Initialize the sandbox.
+              $sandbox['progress'] = 0;
+              $sandbox['current'] = 0;
+              $sandbox['max'] = count($revisions);
+            }
 
             // Apply the field value from the revision data table to the
             // revision table.
-            foreach ($revisions as $rev_id => $id) {
+            $current = $sandbox['current'];
+            for ($i = $current; $i < $current + 100 && $i < $sandbox['max']; $i++) {
+              $rev_id = $revisions[$i];
               $field_value = $database->select($revision_data_table, 'rd')
                 ->fields('rd', [$revision_metadata_field_name])
                 ->condition($revision_field, $rev_id)
@@ -1788,10 +1796,18 @@
                 ->condition($revision_field, $rev_id)
                 ->fields([$revision_metadata_field_name => $field_value])
                 ->execute();
+
+              $sandbox['current']++;
+            }
+
+            $sandbox['#finished'] = empty($sandbox['max']) ? 1 : ($sandbox['progress'] / $sandbox['max']);
+
+            if ($sandbox['#finished'] >= 1) {
+              // Drop the field from the data tables.
+              $database_schema->dropField($data_table, $revision_metadata_field_name);
+              $database_schema->dropField($revision_data_table, $revision_metadata_field_name);
+              unset($sandbox['progress']);
             }
-            // Drop the field from the data tables.
-            $database_schema->dropField($data_table, $revision_metadata_field_name);
-            $database_schema->dropField($revision_data_table, $revision_metadata_field_name);
           }
         }
         $revisions = NULL;