Tron: Ares Headed for a Costly Box Office Flop, Could Cost Disney More Than $132 Million
Disney’s next journey into the Grid could come at a painful cost: Tron: Ares is shaping up as a high-stakes, big-budget gamble that may not pay off.
Well, this is awkward. Tron: Ares hit theaters on October 10 and, despite the neon legacy, it is not lighting up the box office. Early signs point to a pricey stumble rather than a comeback story.
The sci-fi threequel brings in Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, Evan Peters, and Jodie Turner-Smith. Big names, big budget... small buzz. Critics and moviegoers have been pretty quiet on this one, and the trade calculators are already sharpening their pencils.
The quick math
Deadline did the industry math on this, and if their projection holds, Tron: Ares is headed for a loss. Here is the simplified version:
- Production budget: about $220 million
- After marketing and other costs (yes, that includes ads and the usual release expenses): total spend rises to roughly $347.5 million
- Projected final global box office: around $160 million
- Estimated total revenue across the usual buckets (theatrical rentals, home entertainment, home TV, airlines): about $214.8 million
- That revenue minus the total spend ($214.8M - $347.5M) lands at an estimated loss of $132.7 million
Important caveat: those are projections, not final accounting. That said, Deadline is a reliable trade on this stuff, and the current trajectory is not encouraging.
Reception so far
Tron: Ares is sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, which fits the general shrug it has been getting. The Hollywood Reporter is already hinting that the weak box office could put any sequel plans in jeopardy. Our own review clocked in at 2.5 stars and, to be blunt, this entry feels like it swapped out the series charm for something more grounded and less fun.
"A serviceable blockbuster falls short of being truly fun by swapping the Grid for a real-world setting. Despite a good lead performance from Greta Lee and a great score, Ares lacks the charm and silliness of its Tron predecessors after one upgrade too many."
If you are heading out anyway: yes, there is a post-credits scene. Just do not expect it to fix the bigger problem here, which is that a $220 million sci-fi sequel needs more than a loyal niche to keep the lights on.