Tickets for TRON: Ares went on sale earlier this month, and Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) has just shared some early estimates for the threequel's opening weekend. The movie, led by Morbius star Jared Leto, has hit tracking with an expected $44 million debut in North America.
That's the same figure as 2010's TRON: Legacy, but as the trade points out, "IMAX-fueled tentpoles like F1, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and Weapons, have seen their actual box office dollars leaving their forecasts in the dust."
Presales have reached $2 million, which is comparable to Gladiator II ($55 million opening), F1: The Movie ($57 million opening), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($60.3 million opening). So, a decent start.
Disney has gone all out to build excitement for TRON: Ares, including bringing the movie to the San Diego Comic-Con and buying pricey TV spots during NFL and college football games. Disney World's Tron LightCycle Ride at Magic Kingdom has also been given an eye-catching red and black overhaul.
Sexual misconduct allegations made about Leto haven't derailed TRON: Ares, which has a higher awareness among men over 25 than movies like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($61 million opening), Ready Player One ($41.7 million opening), and Furiosa ($26.3 million opening).
The TRON franchise has never been a box office juggernaut, but TRON and TRON: Legacy have made a combined $433 million at the worldwide box office.
Whether TRON: Ares can exceed expectations remains to be seen, but it currently has the makings of a modest success. Disney is likely hoping to have a new sci-fi franchise on its hands, and only time will tell whether this movie spawns a new wave of TRON stories.
TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with A.I. beings.
The movie stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson. Joachim Rønning directs; producers are Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Leto, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger.
TRON: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring all original music by Nine Inch Nails, will be released on September 19 via Interscope Records. The release marks the first-ever film score by the pioneering band, although bandmates Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have composed 20 scores under their own names, winning two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a GRAMMY and an Emmy in the process.
TRON: Ares arrives in theaters on October 10, 2025.