Revered for its ground breaking use of effects and trailblazing use of CGI, the 1982 film, Tron, wowed audiences with its stunning visuals and unique atmosphere set within a digital space. The franchise lay dormant for decades before a second entry released in 2010, under Disney, though this film did not receive the same praise as the original. While the CGI was still impressive for its time, it failed to provide something unique for modern audiences in an industry now dominated by overwhelming CGI. However, the film has become a sort of cult classic over time, with steady interest in the franchise and flashes of a potential hit, the possibility of a sequel loomed for the next 15 years. Announced in February 2024 and released on October 10, 2025, Tron Ares has seen little success at the box office. With $54 million domestically and $123 million total, the film has fallen short of its projections and likely won’t break even at a budget of $180 million, not including other factors like marketing.
So, why did it fail?
There are various factors contributing to its failure, but I’ll start with the film itself. I found it dull and lacking a “wow factor” that would entice audiences to see it. The visuals, which have been a hallmark of the franchise, were no better than any average marvel movie. While the story wasn’t bad, it wasn’t impressive either, bringing forward another mediocre sci-fi plot with no deeper meaning or twists that change how you view the movie. When I asked my friend, who I watched the movie with, what he thought about it, he said, “I don’t know. What should I say? It wasn’t special.” And when I followed up by asking what his favorite part was he responded laughing, “I don’t know. Like, literally, I have no idea.”
A significant factor in its downfall is a lack of interest in the franchise. With films spread out over a decade between releases, the franchise is hard pressed to find long term fans and retain interest between each movie. With a lack of die hard fans and knowledge about the films within the general populace, most may not even know this movie is an entry in a franchise, unless, of course, the film had strong marketing.
On the marketing front, the movie was handled about as well as it was produced. Not bad, but still not great. The budget for the film’s marketing was nearly half the film’s itself. Standing at a whopping $123 million, the ads were out there, but they completely fumbled in the casting of Jared Leto, now infamous for his leading role in the twice over box office flop, Morbius, in 2022. Leto is better known by the general populace for this role rather than his hits, and presenting the face behind such a generational disaster on display for all those potential new viewers meant a huge risk for the film, one which clearly didn’t pay off.
Unlike Morbius however, the film has lacked any ability to break into the cultural zeitgeist, whether positive or negative, and is on track to be forgotten like so many modern remakes of formerly beloved classics. This movie likely spells the end for Jared Leto’s career, and should put one more nail into the slowly closing Tron franchise coffin.
