TRON: ARES Set to Lose Over $132 Million for Disney; How the film drove the internet crazy

The neon lights of Tron: Ares they’re disappearing faster than Disney expected. What was supposed to be a triumphant return to the network has turned into one of the biggest sci-fi flops of recent years with a $220 million bet that is on track to lose a staggering $132.7 million.

According to Deadline, production costs were much higher than the previously set $170-180 million range. Factoring in marketing, filming and flashy promotional stunts like the laser-lit Nine Inch Nails concert premiere on Hollywood Boulevard, Disney’s bill ballooned to $347.5 million.

With a worldwide box office of just $103 million after a brutal 67% drop in its second weekend, Tron: Ares he is officially out of power.

One insider summed it up bluntly: “There wasn’t a specific vision, to be honest. The idea of ​​Disney spending a quarter of a billion dollars on a Jared Leto movie that’s a franchise that hasn’t worked for four decades is crazy.”

Although Tron: Ares reaches a global total of $160 million, its financials don’t add up. The film would generate approximately $214.8 million in total revenues, including worldwide theatrical rentals, home entertainment, television rights and airlines. That still leaves Disney in the red.

I thought, director Joachim Rønning’s entry into the long-running series was a lot of fun! I had a blast watching the film, and so did many other fans, but despite the franchise’s cult status, the results fell flat.

Many within Disney point to the script as the primary failure. While Rønning initially wanted to Ford-Ferrari writer Jez Butterworth to be reviewed Jesse Wigutowof the script, the studio moved forward. After, Billy Ray he was called in to clean up the story during filming.

Since its debut in 1982, critics have always seen it Tron as more style than substance. The original film was a box office success, but has become a cult classic on home video. Tron: Legacy fared better in 2010, grossing $400 million worldwide and showcasing early talent Joseph Kosinskiwhich he later directed Top Gun: nonconformist. That modest success was enough to justify a sequel, but not enough to make the franchise mainstream.

Unfortunately, Ares I couldn’t do the same trick. The audience was not moved by the show. CinemaScore gave it a B+, the same as Legacy, while younger audiences, the audience Disney hoped to electrify, barely showed up. Only 6% of ticket buyers were between the ages of 13 and 17, and the film’s biggest fans were members of Generation X clinging to nostalgia.

Despite the tabloid chatter, Leto’s reputation wasn’t the issue. As one insider said, viewers simply weren’t thrilled with this story. “Tron is the star at the end of the day,” they said, adding that even with solid word of mouth, there wasn’t enough FOMO to spark momentum.

Compare with Dune highlight the problem. Denis Villeneuve managed to take a complex, decades-old sci-fi film and make it essential viewing thanks to a sharp script and like-minded stars Zendaya AND Timothée Chalamet. Tron: Ares it lacked both the power of history and modern charm.

“The franchise is dead,” one source declared after the film’s disappointing opening weekend. But history suggests otherwise. Sci-fi franchises have a habit of rebooting after years of hibernation, Alien, Planet of the ApesAlso Superman they all made successful comebacks after major box office failures.

And there is still a spark of life inside Tron. Disney’s movie-inspired theme park rides remain among the most popular attractions in Orlando and Shanghai. In many ways, Ares served as a two-hour infomercial for those high-speed light cycle experiences.

Time, as always, could be the franchise’s greatest ally. Tron crashed earlier and eventually the lights came back on. For now, though, Disney’s latest journey into the digital frontier has ended in a short circuit.