The long-awaited entry in the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares, starring Jared Leto, has opened to an underwhelming start at the box office. Following a less-than-thrilling reception among critics, the movie scored $14.3 million on its opening day (via Deadline), falling short of Leto’s previous major studio release, Morbius.
To put it into perspective, Morbius was unanimously considered one of the worst CBMs to hit the big screen, which seemed more in line with the often-forgotten CBMs of the 2000s, including Daredevil, Catwoman, etc. Following its $17.3 million collection on day 1, the movie went on to conclude its theatrical run (including the re-release) with $167.4 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Tron: Ares is Falling Short of Its Initial Projections
Despite the lackluster critical scores, the movie has nabbed a B+ grade on CinemaScore, suggesting that general moviegoers, for the most part, are enjoying the new installment in the long-dormant franchise.
However, the new projections for the weekend numbers are looking a bit worrying, as it appears the movie might fall short of Tron: Legacy‘s numbers. While industry experts initially predicted that the Leto-led entry’s weekend numbers (domestically) would mirror Legacy‘s collection of $44M, the movie is now looking to conclude its opening weekend between $35-37 million.
It’s not inherently bad, as the Cinemascore suggests the movie can enjoy decent legs at the box office, especially with no major competition from other big releases around the corner.
As for why, although one could argue it might’ve to do with the controversies surrounding Leto, reports suggest 47% of ticket buyers arrived because it was a Tron movie, and 41% came because it was a sci-fi movie. The underwhelming returns once again highlight a concerning Hollywood pattern, where big-budget IPs no longer guarantee success straight out of the gate.
How Much Does Jared Leto’s Tron: Ares Need to Break Even
Ares is still a long way from being considered a box-office flop, and unlike Morbius, it didn’t become the internet’s punching bag. Moreover, Nine Inch Nails has done a brilliant job with the movie’s score, which was no easy feat given the bar set by Legacy, notable for Daft Punk’s impeccable work.
Going by the 2.5 rule, the movie would need to earn $450 million to break even, given the movie’s $180M production budget. With international numbers for the opening weekend projected at $40-45 million, in order to recoup its money, the movie would require some massive legs.
Fortunately, with support from other premium format releases, involving IMAX, Dolby, 3D, ScreenX, D-Box, and 4DX, the movie might experience way better legs than Morbius, especially given the audience reception. The important thing to note here would be the weekend-to-weekend drops, and with no major releases around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see if Ares can turn the tide in the coming weeks.
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Tron: Ares is currently playing in theaters.
