Having completed a month of release in theaters, Disney’s Tron: Ares is staring at the very real possibility of falling short of the $150 million mark at the worldwide box office. The movie opened to mixed reviews, but has had a deeply underwhelming commercial run so far. By comparison, its 2010 predecessor, Tron: Legacy, grossed around $100 million more domestically, and was still seen as a disappointment. Legacy built a cult following in the decade following its release, which no doubt encouraged Disney to go ahead with a follow-up. The problem was that Ares serves as a stand-alone sequel, and isn’t directed by Legacy‘s Joseph Kosinski. Nor does it feature music by Daft Punk, which was a major reason behind Legacy‘s growing post-release popularity.
With $139 million worldwide, Ares has been struggling at the box office ever since its debut. The movie is directed by Joachim Rønning and stars Jared Leto; it cost a reported $220 million to produce and is projected to lose Disney as much as $130 million. But this is nothing compared to the estimated $260 million that 2012’s John Carter reportedly lost the studio. Directed by Andrew Stanton, John Carter starred Taylor Kitsch and was marketed as the story that inspired franchises such as Avatar and Star Wars. But the movie emerged as the biggest flop in history in terms of sheer numbers, and found itself in the middle of a notoriously poor run for Disney that also saw duds such as Mars Needs Moms, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Tomorrowland.
‘Tron: Ares’ Is Perhaps the Final Nail in the Franchise’s Coffin
But despite its troubles, John Carter ended up grossing over $280 million globally — two times Ares‘ current haul. Disney hasn’t been having a great year so far, with underperformers such as Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Snow White, and Elio on its resume. That said, the studio delivered the billion-dollar hit Lilo & Stitch live-action remake, and has two sure bets lined up — Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash. Ares opened to mixed reviews, and is now sitting at a 53% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with praise being given to the original score by Nine Inch Nails and the cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth.
You can watch Tron: Ares in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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October 8, 2025
- Runtime
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119 minutes
- Director
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Joachim Rønning
- Writers
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Jesse Wigutow, Steven Lisberger, Bonnie MacBird, Joachim Rønning, David DiGilio
- Producers
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Jared Leto, Jeffrey Silver, Sean Bailey, Steven Lisberger, Emma Ludbrook, Justin Springer
