Tron: Ares Opening Weekend Box Office Disappoints

Tron: Ares is disappointing at the box office with a debut weekend that is coming in far below previous expectations. Ares, which debuted on October 10, is the third Tron movie, following the cult classic 1982 original and its 2010 sequel Legacy. The cast includes Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, and returning star Jeff Bridges.

Per Deadline, as of Saturday morning, Tron: Ares is projected to end its opening weekend with a 3-day domestic debut total between $35 and $37 million. This falls significantly below the movie’s original projections of $45 to $50 million and sees Ares failing to break a franchise record, sinking beneath the $44 million debut of Tron: Legacy.

These projections even place the movie below the $39 million debut of Jared Leto’s 2022 superhero failure Morbius, which grossed $167.5 million against a reported budget of roughly $83 million.

The new sci-fi movie, which was directed by Joachim Rønning, was never a guaranteed success, considering the fact that it is a sequel to two cult titles that were never runaway box office hits. However, both previous installments were modest successes at the box office and the Tron: Ares release may not ultimately hit that same level.

While it will later be buoyed by VOD and streaming revenue, Tron: Ares‘ reported budget of $180 million could place its estimated break-even point as high as $450 million. Considering the fact that Legacy only ever earned $400 million (not adjusted for inflation), Ares will have to make up for a lot of lost ground if it hopes to hit that benchmark.

The Jared Leto movie seems unlikely to pull ahead to the degree that it can earn $450 million by the end of its theatrical run. Tron: Ares reviews have been middling, earning it a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 56%, so it would need to thrill audiences in a way that it consistently failed to with critics.

However, these projections are still enough for Tron: Ares to take No. 1 on the domestic chart for the weekend. It has accelerated far past the new Channing Tatum dramedy Roofman, which is expected to earn a 3-day total of $8 million.

Roofman still has an advantage, though. The Paramount and Miramax title is not intended to be a major blockbuster play. With a reported budget between $17 and $19 million, its success is not dependent on record-breaking numbers.

While Roofman is debuting below the $14.9 million earned by Tatum’s similarly small-scale 2022 feature Dog, if it finds itself on a similar trajectory, it should comfortably earn about $45 million by the end of its run, which should put it on track to break even either in theaters or once it hits VOD. Tron: Ares‘ fate is much more uncertain.

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