Disney has had an uncharacteristically rough year at the box office, with Tron: Ares being the studio’s most recent release to struggle with audiences. The Mouse House’s third (and presumably final) attempt to turn the cult favorite sci-fi franchise into a blockbuster hit landed with a thud in early October, grossing just $33.2 million domestically in its opening weekend. Failing to meet its modest projections, the poor performance of Tron: Ares could make viewers recall the last time star Jared Leto tried to headline a studio blockbuster: Sony’s ill-fated Morbius. As a sign of just how poorly Ares is faring right now, the latest Tron movie is still lagging behind Leto’s disappointing Spider-Man Universe installment.
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According to the latest box office figures (per The Numbers), Tron: Ares has grossed $104.1 million worldwide as of this writing. While that’s enough to clear another panned Spider-Man Universe entry, Madame Web ($100.2 million), Tron: Ares still has a long way to go before it passes Morbius, which earned $167.4 million globally.
Can Tron: Ares Beat Morbius at the Box Office?
As of this writing, there’s a gap of roughly $63.3 million between Tron: Ares and Morbius. At first glance, Ares, which is about to enter the third weekend of its box office run, should be able to make up that difference. However, it isn’t a given that will happen. Looking at the numbers, it’s clear Tron: Ares has failed to resonate with audiences — both domestically and internationally. Somewhat surprisingly, Ares has actually been more of a draw in the United States. It’s earned $55.4 million domestically and $48.6 million from international markets. Tron: Legacy was able to overcome a shaking outing stateside by getting a boost from the worldwide box office, and it doesn’t seem like that will happen with Ares.
Tron: Ares is falling quickly at the U.S. box office. In its second weekend, it suffered a drop of 66.6% and grossed only $11.1 million. Though it won’t be facing much direct competition for its target demographic of sci-fi fans until Predator: Badlands opens in early November, it wasn’t connecting with those moviegoers to begin with. In order to become a box office success, a big-budget film like Tron: Ares needs to have strong legs. Instead of being able to take advantage of limited competition throughout October, it’s fading fast.
There’s still a remote chance Tron: Ares could pass Morbius, but those odds are slim. In its second weekend, the film grossed around $25.4 million worldwide ($11.1 million domestic, $14.3 million internationally), and those numbers will likely continue to go down the longer its run goes on. And with Tron failing to be a draw, it’ll probably start to lose theaters now, as locations make room for new fall arrivals and re-releases of popular titles like Sinners and Kpop Demon Hunters. Earning more than $60 million from this point could be a tall ask for Tron.
Whether or not Tron: Ares could beat Morbius at the worldwide box office probably wasn’t the question Disney had in mind when it gave Ares the green light. While Tron has never been the biggest commercial draw, the property still has a passionate following that Disney was trying to tap into. Now that the franchise is 0/3 when it comes to delivering genuine box office hits, word is Disney is going to pull the plug on the Tron film series. For what it’s worth, the Tron Lightcycle Power Run ride at Disney’s theme parks is a popular attraction, so the Mouse House can take some solace in that.
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