As the long-awaited sequel continues to struggle to get off the ground in its early weeks, Tron: Ares‘ financial haul is looking much bleaker. The sci-fi franchise, revolving around the conflict between humanity and the gladiator-like programs in a virtual reality known as the Grid, has proven to be one of the more infamous in Hollywood’s history, always praised for its visual effects, but always critiqued for its story.
Development on Tron: Ares was also one of the more memorably troubled in Hollywood, with Legacy‘s box office underperformance, as well as a few other Disney disappointments, seeing the studio ordering numerous rewrites before eventually being paused and reshaped to not be a direct follow-up to the 2010 sequel. Led by Jared Leto, Ares has gotten off to a rocky start both with critics and at the box office, falling well short of its early projections.
Now, in a new report from ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Tron: Ares is expected to lose an approximate $132.7 million for Disney. Sources indicate that the budget for the sci-fi sequel is actually much higher than the previously reported $170 million, with its current price tag sitting at $220 million after net costs. However, it’s also noted that the loss figure comes from a projected final gross of $160 million worldwide for the film.
For those familiar with the Tron franchise, it may not come as much of a surprise that Ares is having such a struggle at the box office. Neither of the first two were technically flops, but were looked down on by Disney as being general disappointments, particularly when paired with the reviews. Instead, in the years following their releases, the original and Legacy became better known as cult classics, amᴀssing a pᴀssionate fanbase through home media.
As for Tron: Ares, though, the writing was already on the wall for its box office troubles prior to the film’s release. For starters, Jared Leto has not proven to be the draw he once was in recent years, particularly when it comes to blockbuster projects, as the likes of his DC Extended Universe tenure and infamous turn in Morbius quickly made him more of a meme than a beloved actor.
One of the other major hurdles Ares had going into its theatrical run is how disconnected it was set to be from Tron: Legacy. Save for Jeff Bridges’ return as original protagonist Kevin Flynn, and archival pH๏τos of Garrett Hedlund’s Sam and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra, the film is virtually a standalone entry, thus alienating fans of the 2010 movie who had hoped to see its storyline continue.
Given the movie is only in its third week, and is currently only set to go up against the already released Black Phone 2 and soon-to-come Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, there’s still a chance Tron: Ares could turn things around. However, with it looking to be another major loss for Disney, the studio’s desire to return to franchise filmmaking may see them look to a property with a better history.
