Disney’s Box Office Struggles Continue With Low Tron: Ares Opening Weekend

In 2019, Disney distributed seven films that grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. All corners of the Mouse House’s empire dominated the multiplex that year, as audiences came out in full force to see the latest offerings from brands like Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, as well as Disney’s in-house animation and live-action remake projects. Things have changed quite dramatically in the years since; nowadays, the newest Disney release isn’t a guaranteed draw. The studio was hoping for a fall hit in the form of Tron: Ares, the next installment in the cult-favorite sci-fi franchise. Unfortunately, it’s bound to go down as another disappointment.

According to Deadline, Tron: Ares grossed approximately $33.5 million domestically in its opening weekend. The global debut stands at $60.5 million. These figures are considerably down from the initial box office projections that came out a few weeks ago, when Tron: Ares was estimated to make roughly $44 million. That would have tied the opening of Tron: Legacy, but now Ares ended up trailing its predecessor.

Tron: Ares Is Disney’s Latest Box Office Disappointment in 2025

To be fair, Disney has had some winners at the box office this year. The live-action Lilo & Stitch remake is the highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2025, posting $1.037 billion in a record-breaking theatrical run. And while The Fantastic Four: First Steps suffered a steep second weekend decline and didn’t have strong legs, it still grossed $521.7 million worldwide (the only Marvel release this year to hit that milestone). It arguably wasn’t as big of a draw as the studio might have hoped, but it also wasn’t a bomb. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for some of Disney’s other releases.

Marvel had a rough year, as both Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* underperformed, grossing $415.1 million and $382.4 million worldwide, respectively. The live-action Snow White remake bombed with $205.6 million globally, and Pixar’s Elio fared even worse. After posting Pixar’s lowest opening of all time, the film earned just $154.2 million worldwide. All of these movies found success on home media platforms, but that doesn’t fully make up for their underwhelming box office showings. Tron: Ares seems destined to endure a similar fate.

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Tron: Ares has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than Tron: Legacy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a critical darling. Its critics score is just 56% (a “rotten” mark by Rotten Tomatoes’ standards), meaning it lacks enthusiastic buzz and word of mouth. While people were impressed by Tron: Ares’ strong visuals and catchy soundtrack, many feel the film falls flat with regard to the story and characters. If the reviews were better, then there might have been a chance for Tron: Ares to catch on as a sleeper hit; there isn’t much in the way of direct competition for a big-budget sci-fi film the next few weeks. However, the mixed response means it’s unlikely Tron: Ares will have decent legs. Opening below Legacy illustrates lack of interest.

From a certain point of view, it’s easy to understand why Disney moved forward with Tron: Ares. In the 15 years since its release, Tron: Legacy has gained a cult following, suggesting there was a passionate fan base excited for a new installment. It took years for a third Tron to come together, but the timing arguably couldn’t have been more perfect considering the prevalence of AI and evolving technology in our daily lives. However, Disney may ultimately take a loss on Ares, which cost $180 million to produce (a figure that does not include marketing costs). Now, Disney is going to turn its eyes to Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash as the last attempts to salvage a rough box office year before hoping things get back on track in 2026.

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