Tron: Ares Disappoints With Opening Weekend Box Office Below Even Jared Leto’s Spider-Man Universe Flop Morbius, Calling Into Question Disney’s Franchise Reboot Hopes

Tron: Ares got off to a disappointing start at the global box office, raising questions about the future of the franchise.

In North American theaters, Tron: Areas mustered just $33.5 million, with an even worse $27 million international haul. That makes for a $60.5 million global weekend, well below expectations for the Disney sci-fi flick.

The hope with Tron: Ares, which stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jeff Bridges, and Gillian Anderson, was that it would reboot the Tron franchise 15 years after the last entry and usher in a wave of sequels. Those hopes now appear in doubt — without a significant recovery over the coming weeks, it looks like Disney will lose money on Tron: Ares’ theatrical run. According to Variety, Tron: Ares has a “massive” $180 million price tag, not including marketing spend.

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To put Tron: Ares’ opening weekend into perspective, 2010’s Tron: Legacy opened to $44 million domestically, not adjusted for inflation. It went on to secure $409.9 million globally, again, not adjusted for inflation. It’s also below Jared Leto’s 2022 Sony Spider-Man Universe disaster Morbius, which made $39 million domestically during launch weekend and eventually $167.4 million globally. It seems unlikely Tron: Ares will surpass either film’s total. It is worth noting, however, that Tron: Ares opens in China next weekend.

IGN’s Tron: Ares review returned a 5/10. “Tron: Ares somehow forgets where it came from and relentlessly revisits the original, only making the latest version of the Grid paler by comparison,” we said. For what it’s worth, check out IGN’s Tron: Ares Ending and Post-Credits Scene Explained feature to find out how it sets Tron 4 up.

TRON: Ares Images

Meanwhile, Paramount’s Roofman starring Channing Tatum opened this weekend to a debut of $8 million, which is seen as another disappointment. Kiss of the Spider Woman, which stars Jennifer Lopez, is in flop territory after just $918,775 at the domestic box office.

If it wasn’t already obvious from last weekend’s opening, Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine is now an undisputed box office disaster, with North American ticket revenue plummeting 69% domestically to a miniscule $1.7 million. Variety reported it cost $50 million to produce. It has made just $10.1 million so far.

And finally, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is now up to $138 million globally. It’s hard to tell at this stage where the Leonardo DiCaprio action flick will end up at the box office, but staying power could help paint a rosier picture over the coming weeks.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.