The first wave of Tron: Ares reviews are in, and with that comes the initial Rotten Tomatoes score for the third entry in the long-running sci-fi franchise ahead of the movie’s release on October 10.
As of writing, Tron: Ares has a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which gives it a “Fresh” label. While that score could still fluctuate, one way or the other, that places Tron: Ares in the ballpark of its two predecessors, the original Tron from 1982 and 2010’s Tron: Legacy, with the new movie falling in between the two films’ RT scores; 61% for Tron, 51% for Tron: Legacy. (Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article cited Tron: Ares‘ 59% Rotten Tomatoes score)
Tron: Ares takes place after the events of Tron: Legacy. It follows a sophisticated program named Ares, played by Jared Leto, who is sent from the digital world to the real world on a dangerous mission. Joining Leto as part of the Tron: Ares cast are Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges. The film is directed by Joachim Rønning.
ScreenRant’s official Tron: Ares review highlights some of the issues critics are having with the movie, as Todd Gilchrist cites, “a messy script more interested in bouncing between the two worlds for loud, fast-paced action sequences than exploring (or even acknowledging) the decades-old quandaries of their parallel existence.”
Right now, the Rotten Tomatoes score is only based on critics reviews for Tron: Ares. Audiences may have a different reaction. For both Tron and Tron: Legacy, the audiences’ rating of the films, known as the Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, were better than the critics’ score. That backs up Tron‘s status as a cult favorite franchise among many sci-fi fans.
|
Film |
Tomatometer |
Popcornmeter |
|---|---|---|
|
Tron (1982) |
61% |
69% |
|
Tron: Legacy (2010) |
51% |
64% |
|
Tron: Ares (2025) |
60%* |
TBD |
(* denotes that the score is subject to change).
Of course, Tron: Ares‘ success is only partially determined by its review and Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie’s box office will be the bigger factor. Early projections for the Tron: Ares box office suggest that the film could very well land the biggest debut in franchise history, thanks in large part to the fact that it will be playing on IMAX screens.
If you want to watch Tron and/or Tron: Legacy before watching Tron: Ares, as ScreenRant’s Brian Gallagher recommends, you can do so on Disney+. However, if you are not a subscriber to Disney+, both movies are also available to buy or rent via video-on-demand platforms.
Again, Tron: Ares releases exclusively in movie theaters starting October 10.
