This sci-fi action film cost Disney over $100 million.

Disney has had quite a bit of success in 2025 and is poised to become the highest-grossing distributor of the year, but it hasn't been all a slam dunk for the Mouse House. As Marvel prepares for a cumulative 2026 that includes the first Avengers Filming a movie for the first time in 7 years, Avatar: Fire and Ash We'll be marching toward $1 billion in January, but there's one thing missing. Tron: Ares.

The third work of the Tron series, Tron: Ares It looks like it will be a huge disappointment for Disney, which is expected to lose about $130 million due to the Jared Leto vehicle. To say so Tron: Ares It would be no exaggeration to say that it failed. This is because this film did not reach even half of the worldwide box office revenue of its predecessor. Tron: LegacyMany considered it a subpar sequel in its own right.

Tron: Ares by the numbers and compared to Legacy

According to the report Tron: Ares Disney will lose about $130 million.. As of this writing, Tron: Ares has grossed $142 million worldwide. Split between $73 million domestically and $68 million internationally, it's the rare Disney film that actually grossed more in the U.S. than overseas. For the same movie Tron: Ares, That's not good at all. diagonal

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Tron: Ares It wasn't well-received by critics either, receiving a 53% positive review on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the user score is 83%, so audiences are overall enjoying the movie (more on that later).

In comparison, Tron: Legacy was released 15 years ago and did much better. It grossed $400 million worldwide ($172 million domestic, $228 million international) and was actually considered a financial disappointment, as Disney had expected huge profits from the film. surprisingly, Tron: Legacy's Rotten Tomatoes score is worse than: Ares51% of critics rate the movie positively and only 64% of users like it.

The fact that Tron: Ares can't match or exceed Legacy's gross with the benefit of higher ticket prices says a lot about audience interest in the film. Yes, the moviegoing experience has changed dramatically since 2010, but there are plenty of 2025 releases that prove they can succeed in theaters. Disney has the highest-grossing movie of the year (so far). Lilo and StitchIt is the only domestic film to surpass $1 billion in 2025.

Perhaps the biggest blow against Tron, in my opinion, is that Ares can't even win. Morbius At the box office. I freely admit that the Spider-Man connection and meme worked. Morbius', but word of mouth actively opposed it. Tron: Ares, on the other hand, didn't react as negatively.

What's wrong with Tron Ares?

Promoting the Movie with Jeff Bridges

Even before it was released, Tron: Ares It seemed like it was headed for disappointment, as buzz about the film was extremely low. I was in the audience when the first footage was released at D23 in 2024, and the passion for the film was centered around two people: Jeff Bridges and the duo of Reznor and Ross.

Bridges has played a key role in this area. tron From the beginning of the series, he reprized his role, first as Star and then as Kevin Flynn. legacy. His appearance in Ares was originally going to be a surprise for fans, but Disney apparently felt that keeping it a secret could hurt the film's appeal. So Jeff Bridges got involved in marketing the movie, including an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con this summer.

To the hugely popular Daft Punk soundtrack Tron: LegacyDisney turned to Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to create the music for the trilogy. This Oscar-winning duo has a slew of fantastic soundtracks and is even scoring Naughty Dog's Intergalactic, so enthusiasm was high when they were announced. Ares.

The Mystery of Jared Leto

None of the main selling points Tron: Ares Coming out of D23 was Jared Leto, the film's star and producer. later Morbius Despite its failure, Leto didn't seem like a blockbuster movie star capable of making big profits, and the box office success of Tron: Ares once again proved that fact. It turns out that even Disney knew it was going uphill and attempted to position other elements of the film (Bridge, Reznor/Ross, visuals) as the main piece.

Leto isn't the only one to blame. Tron: Ares'There is a general sense that in the performance he may not have been bringing audiences into the theater but actually keeping them away. Morbius It didn't help his case as a leading man, and there were no reports of his alleged on-field behavior.

Do people actually like Tron that much?

The Tron name seemingly carried a lot of weight, but there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the appeal of the IP. text tron Although it has achieved cult status since its release, Jeff Bridges also admits that it failed to capture the attention of audiences when it was first released.

It almost felt like that. Tron: Legacy Disney was testing the waters to see who would actually value it. tron Name, the reaction was mild. So it's a strange tactic to make another film that has no connection to its predecessor, but instead stars a completely new lead and offers a different tone.

Tron: Ares is actually not that bad

Tron Ares Officer Running Game Invaders — Tron: Ares

And despite all that, I actually enjoyed it. Tron: Ares More than I expected. Visually, this is consistent with what Tron: Legacy established as a modern take on The Grid, and the effect when the digital world blends with reality is stunning. The scores are completely different RegakBut I think Reznor and Ross did a great send-off, making the original Tron their own. It's by no means a great movie, but it's a fun popcorn spectacle that I've come to expect from other Tron adventures.

But no matter what anyone thinks Tron: AresIt went from being a decent success to being a Disney flop in just one year. It's also embarrassing because it's cute. Tron: Ares It would have brought everything together in an interesting way. I guess we'll have to wait another 15 years to see what's next for The Grid.