Tron: Ares Opens to $33 Million — Is a Sequel Now in Doubt?
The grid is flickering. As development drags and priorities shift, Tron 4 is drifting from hype to limbo—leaving fans to wonder if the sequel is derezzed in the water.
Disney clearly tees up a sequel in Tron: Ares with a post-credits nod, but the opening weekend might have just thrown a giant wrench into those plans. The Hollywood Reporter says the studio could rethink a follow-up after the film stumbled out of the gate.
The numbers (they aren’t pretty)
- Budget: about $180 million
- Domestic opening: $33 million, under the $40–50 million projections
- Overseas: $27 million
- Global debut: $60.2 million
- For context: Tron: Legacy opened to $44 million domestic back in December 2010
What the movie actually is
Jared Leto plays Ares, an AI program who wakes up, realizes he has free will, and decides he’s not going to be the obedient digital soldier his ambitious 'owner' Julian Dillinger wants him to be. Dillinger’s plan is to auction off Ares and his fellow programs as weapons. Then Ares crosses paths with ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee), finds a way to make himself more human, and pivots hard into protecting her and blowing up Dillinger’s scheme.
The cast is stacked: Jodie Turner-Smith, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges are all in the mix. Joachim Rønning directs.
Reception so far
Rotten Tomatoes has it at 55% right now. GamesRadar+ landed at 2.5 out of 5. So, not a disaster, not a triumph, just sort of shrug emoji.
Why the stumble? Depends who you ask
This is where the off-the-record industry chatter comes in. THR’s sources are split on what went wrong: some pin it on casting, others say the script just wasn’t there, and a few argue it was always going to be a niche play for longtime fans. Two quotes from THR’s piece jump out:
'You could have had Ryan Gosling, it wasn’t going to work.'
'No one asked for this reboot. If you say, Tron: Ares is good, we just needed a different actor, you’re deluding yourself.'
Sequel odds after that post-credits tease
There’s clearly a roadmap for more, but opening at $33 million domestic on a $180 million price tag is the kind of math that makes studios reach for the brakes. If Tron: Ares has unusually strong legs or pops on international markets, the conversation could change. As of right now, though, a sequel feels far from guaranteed.
Tron: Ares is in cinemas now.