‘TRON: Ares’ Gets Off To a Slower Than Expected Start
After a fifteen-year wait, TRON fans finally had the opportunity to return to the Grid this weekend, as TRON: Ares has debuted in theaters.
Unlike previous installments in the TRON series, Ares does not see humanity entering the digital world. Instead, this time around, artificial intelligence has broken free into the real world.
Photo: Disney
“Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world,” the film’s synopsis reads.
Falling Short of Projections
Heading into the weekend, box office analysts predicted that TRON: Ares would rack up between $45 and $50 million over its debut weekend.
Unfortunately for Disney, after a soft Friday, Ares is now tracking towards an opening weekend of $35-$37 million.
While Ares’s new projection is not a disaster, it is also not what Disney was hoping for.
What Does Success Look Like?
If the third TRON film ends its weekend at $37 million, it would mean the movie failed to match TRON: Legacy’s debut fifteen years ago.
Photo: Disney
The second film in the TRON series, Legacy, delivered a $44 million opening weekend, before ending its box office run at $400 million.
As we have written about extensively, Disney does not need Ares to have a historic box office run. Instead, the film needs to match the lifetime gross of TRON: Legacy.
Photo: Disney
At $400 million, Ares would be able to scratch out a profit. More importantly, the threequel would re-establish the franchise in the cultural zeitgeist and help prove that TRON has a viable future.
The Good News
For Ares to have the kind of box office run that Disney needs, the film will have to show some staying power.
Photo: Disney
The good news, is that the audiences who have seen the film have enjoyed. As of this writing, Ares holds a B+ CinemaScore and an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Before we pass a final judgment, we will have to see how the film holds up week over week.
Photo: Disney
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