TRON: Legacy Fans Celebrate Film’s 10th Anniversary

TRON: Legacy fans are celebrating the film’s 10th Anniversary. Now, a bit of a cult classic, the movie has become a hit for many fans who were in the theaters back in 2010. With news of another sequel, it’s clear that people still want their TRON, despite Disney‘s strategy with the product. Legacy followed Sam Flynn as he searched for his father on The Grid. He finds a weathered Jeff Bridges as a weathered Kevin Flynn and has to battle an insidious copy of his dad. Olivia Wilde also stars as an isomorphic algorithm named Quorra. To be honest, the movie is a lot of fun, and although the plot might not be Tolstoy, the visual style will leave a lasting impression on a lot of viewers. This fact is clearly backed up by just how many people on social media are showing their appreciation for the movie. (Some are also very upset about what happened to the TRON: Uprising animated series as well.) But, even so, it looks like Disney is revving up their lightcycle output as TRON has rides at multiple Disney Parks and another film on the way.

The sequel is a weird duck because the fans and a large chunk of the Internet love the film. But, a lot of the critical reception around it wasn’t overwhelmingly positive. In fact, a lot of the analysis after the fact paint Legacy as a commercial failure despite grossing $400 million at the box office. Comicbook.com had the chance to speak with Joseph Kosinski about it last year. He has a lot of perspective about how the film is regarded now, and what the climate of the time did to that initial perception.

“The whole idea of expectations are really … it’s a hard thing in movies because I didn’t have any expectations. The first TRON, I think, was not a box office smash. Like you said, it was more of a cult classic. So I didn’t have expectations. At the time, I was happy with how the movie performed. I think Disney was, as well. Sure, in the post-Avatar world, after Avatar made whatever billions of dollars in 2009, I think maybe people thought that was going to become the norm,” Kosinski explained. “But back in 2010, there just wasn’t … China hadn’t really come online as a giant cinema source of revenue like it is now and has been lately. I remember, me personally, not being disappointed with the performance, but I do remember being curious about the perception and the reporting at the time of not being as much as it should have been.”

“I want the movies I work on to be successful and I want the studio and all the investors to get all their money back. But I really am interested in how movies are perceived. It really is the 10-year test,” he added. “That’s really the sign of, I think, a successful movie. Is it something that people go back to? I don’t know if TRON: Legacy has become that. I don’t know how you gauge that, but it’s a movie I’m very proud of and had a great experience making, and taught me so much. So for me, it was a huge success in my mind.”

What’s your favorite part of TRON: Legacy? Let us know down in the comments! Check out the responses down below:

Movie was so much fun

Just magic

It’s really been 10 years

For better or worse, it’s coming

You’re not wrong

Stunning stuff right here

Fastest thing on the Grid

These legends

Make it make sense

Mad emotional