‘Tron: Ares’ Opens Weakly at the Box Office and Could Lead to Losses for Disney

Despite an expansive marketing push, the return of the Tron franchise failed to capture a wide audience.

Disney’s film “Tron: Ares” opened well below expectations, taking in $33.5 million in the U.S. and $60.5 million worldwide. Forecasters had predicted a North American debut of $45–$50 million and expected the global opening weekend to exceed $90 million.

The sci‑fi picture, headlined by Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges and Gillian Anderson, was envisioned as a reboot 15 years after the release of “Tron: Legacy” (2010). If audience interest doesn’t strengthen in the coming weeks, the project may run the risk of financial losses.

Variety reports the production budget was roughly $180 million, not including marketing. The promotional campaign included tie‑ins with Fortnite and Minecraft, as well as partnerships with the NFL and MLB. Even premium formats like IMAX failed to significantly broaden the film’s appeal.

As a result, its opening haul trails that of “Tron: Legacy,” which launched with $44 million in the U.S. (unadjusted for inflation), and even falls short of “Morbius,” which debuted at $39 million.

Audiences, however, have been noticeably kinder than critics: Rotten Tomatoes shows an audience score of 87%, while only 57% of critics gave the film a positive review.

Source: iXBT.games