Disney’s Tron: Ares Stumbles at the Box Office – What This Means for the Franchise
Disney’s highly anticipated reboot, Tron: Ares, faced significant challenges in its opening weekend, earning only $33.5 million from 4,000 theaters across the U.S. This figure fell short of expectations, casting doubt on the future of a beloved sci-fi franchise that began over 40 years ago with the original Tron, which has since gained a cult following.
Internationally, Ares also underperformed, debuting at $27 million for a total global opening of $60.5 million. The film will have its release in China next weekend, which could offer a potential boost. Leading up to its debut, Ares was projected to earn between $40 million and $45 million domestically, with some forecasts even suggesting a possibility of reaching $50 million. The film had a substantial production budget of $180 million, bolstered by tax incentives.
The Tron franchise has faced hurdles historically, often resulting in long gaps between releases. It took 33 years for the sequel, Tron: Legacy, to arrive in theaters, which opened to $44 million domestically and eventually grossed $409.9 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation. After a decade in development, Ares finally made it to the big screen, thanks to the persistence of former Disney executive Sean Bailey.
Despite the lackluster box office performance, Disney remains hopeful that positive audience scores could counteract the mixed reviews. Currently, Ares holds a critics’ score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience ratings are much more favorable at 87%. The film received an impressive four out of five stars on PostTrak. With limited competition on the horizon and retaining premium large-format screens like IMAX and Dolby Cinema—accounting for an impressive 67% of the opening weekend earnings—there may still be a chance for the film to rebound.
Directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Rønning, Tron: Ares features a star-studded cast, including Jared Leto as Ares, Greta Lee as Eve Kim, the CEO of ENCOM, and Evan Peters as the antagonist Julian Dillinger.
In addition to Ares, another film vying for audience attention this weekend was Roofman, a romantic crime-caper comedy from Miramax and Paramount, starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst. Roofman opened to an estimated $8 million from 3,362 theaters, performing on the lower end of expectations but still benefiting from a modest production budget of $19 million. This film aimed to attract a female audience seeking alternatives to the predominantly male-centric films currently in theaters. Interestingly, early viewership shows a slight male majority.
While Roofman received solid reviews, its audience reactions were closely aligned with Ares. The critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 85%, with an audience score of 84%. Both films earned a B+ from CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak. Based on a true story, Roofman follows an Army veteran who resorts to robbing McDonald’s by cutting holes in their roofs and living secretly in a Toys "R" Us while planning his next move.
Another new release, Soul of Fire, from Sony’s faith-based Affirm label, opened to $3 million from 1,730 theaters, finishing in sixth place. The film’s modest production cost of $3 million combined with an A CinemaScore indicates a positive reception, particularly in the heartland and Southern regions of the U.S.
A24 also made waves with its specialty release, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, starring Rose Byrne, which opened with a remarkable per-location average of over $27,000, the highest of the weekend. Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios premiered After the Hunt, a psychological thriller directed by Luca Guadagnino, which garnered a promising average of $25,745 across six theaters.
Among holdovers, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, came in third with an estimated gross of $6.7 million from 3,127 theaters, experiencing a 39% drop. Despite earning an A+ CinemaScore, some box office analysts are puzzled by its performance, though it’s still early in its run.
The Conjuring: Last Rites reached a significant milestone by surpassing $300 million globally, while the Japanese blockbuster Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle became the top-grossing international film in U.S. history with a domestic total of $128.6 million.
On the other hand, Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine struggled in its second weekend, plummeting nearly 70% to $1.7 million, resulting in a disappointing total of $9.8 million after ten days. Despite good reviews and a high-profile premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the film’s expensive production budget of $50 million poses a challenge for its box office viability.
As the film landscape continues to evolve, all eyes are on Tron: Ares to see if it can turn around its fortunes in the coming weeks.
