TRON: Ares opened to mixed reviews (54% on Rotten Tomatoes) last week and underperformed at the domestic box office, making only $33.2 million. Overseas, the TRON and TRON: Legacy follow-up only managed to gross $27 million for a dismal $60.2 million worldwide start.
The movie is already in "flop" territory, thanks to a production budget of at least $180 million. A so-so B+ CinemaScore suggests TRON: Ares won't find an audience in the weeks ahead, and The Hollywood Reporter (via SFFGazette.com) has learned that the franchise's time as a theatrical property is almost certainly over.
According to the trade, "sources say Tron will likely retire from the big screen," with the blame placed at the feet of the IP and, to a lesser extent, lead star Jared Leto.
"Alarmed Disney executives had no idea whether other accusations might emerge" after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged earlier this year, and were relieved when nothing did. Leto is described as having been a "consummate professional" during the press tour and scored seven figures for his on-screen role and an additional seven figures for producing.
Interestingly, Leto is said to have pushed to lead his own TRON movie, but between TRON: Ares and Morbius, it seems Hollywood has accepted that the Oscar-winner doesn't sell tickets. That means he can forget being paid as a top star moving forward.
"The kinds of hefty paydays Leto earned for Ares could be in the past," the report explains, "as an agency partner says that studios already had stepped away from the actor as a leading-man choice after the failure of Sony’s Spider-Man universe spinoff Morbius."
"'In a world where Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor and Benedict Cumberbatch are having a hard time getting lead roles, why would you even go to a person who can’t open a movie and who has question marks around him as a person?' asks one top talent manager partner."
The trade adds, "With Ares flopping, the insider says Leto’s currency in town has run colder than Morbius’ vampire blood. To be clear, the flameout of Tron isn’t Leto’s burden alone. 'You could have had Ryan Gosling, it wasn’t going to work,' says the first agency partner. 'No one asked for this reboot. If you say, 'Tron: Ares is good, we just needed a different actor,' you’re deluding yourself.'"
So, it's not entirely Leto's fault that TRON: Ares bombed (the franchise has never produced box office hits), but he can blame the movie for likely relegating him to B-movie status moving forward.
The actor has a string of noteworthy failures to his name in the blockbuster realm—his portrayal of The Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad remains hugely unpopular—so it might not be a bad idea for the Fifty Seconds to Mars frontman to take another crack at more dramatic roles.
Masters of the Universe is up next for Leto, where he'll play the villainous Skeletor. As for TRON, the property has a big presence in a couple of Disney theme parks, so the House of Mouse may turn to streaming to restore The Grid.