Tron: Ares Box Office Races Toward Worst Week 2 Drop Of The Franchise

Tron: Ares is being dealt another blow during its second weekend at the box office. The sci-fi movie, which stars Jared Leto, is the third Tron movie, expanding the long-running sci-fi franchise. It debuted with a 3-day total of $33.2 million that was superior to the original 1982 Tron ($4.8 million), but fell below 2010’s Tron: Legacy ($44 million).

Per Variety, as of Saturday morning, Tron: Ares is projected to earn a 3-day total of $11 million at the domestic box office by the end of its sophomore weekend. This will mark a 65% week-on-week drop, which would be the worst in the franchise, beating out Tron: Legacy‘s 56.5% drop in 2010.

While the original Tron remains the lowest-grossing installment in the franchise with a worldwide haul of $50 million, its week 2 drop was superior to both of its follow-ups, as the movie fell only 23.4%.

The issue with the new movie does not seem to be its critical reception. Tron: Ares reviews are mixed, earning it a Rotten Tomatoes score of 52%, but a score of 51% did not stop Legacy from outperforming it, both in its opening weekend and its sophomore weekend.

This harsh drop has widened the gap between Ares and Legacy. While the new installment is projected to hit a cumulative domestic total of $54 million by the end of its tenth day in theaters, Legacy had already hit $87.4 million by that same point thanks to a sophomore weekend haul of $19.1 million.

If it continues on its current trajectory, it is entirely possible that Tron: Ares could earn considerably less than $250 million worldwide by the end of its run. This would be a hugely disappointing result, considering that its reported budget of $180 million could place its break-even point as high as $450 million. This is a total that even Legacy ($400.1 million) couldn’t crack.

While the ending of Tron: Ares sets up a potential sequel, it seems highly unlikely that said follow-up will come to fruition in a timely manner. The movie will most likely have to become a cult hit at the level of the previous two installments (neither of which were runaway successes) in order for that ending tease to be properly followed up on.

The VOD, streaming, and physical media performance of Tron: Ares lending it cult status is not an impossibility, as audiences have largely responded well to it, giving it a CinemaScore of B+ and a Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter sore of 86%. However, it seems probable that the franchise is facing down another hiatus of a decade or more between movies.

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