Ares Just Went From Bad To Worse At The Box Office

There is no good news for Disney when it comes to “Tron: Ares.” The long-awaited third “Tron” film was met with lousy reviews from critics, which teed it up for an underwhelming debut at the box office. However, these things can sometimes be marathons and not sprints, with movies occasionally rebounding after rough starts. That’s not the case here, though, as things have gone from bad to worse for director Joachim Rønning’s take on the franchise, which features Jared Leto (“Haunted Mansion”) in the lead role.

In its second weekend, “Ares” pulled in just $11.1 million domestically, representing a staggering 66% drop compared to its already disastrous $33.2 million box office opening. Overseas audiences aren’t coming to the rescue, either, as the big-budget sci-fi sequel made just $14.1 million internationally over the weekend. That brings its running total after two weekends to $103 million, which is quite terrible for a movie with a reported $180 million budget. But not so fast! It gets even worse.

A report from Deadline indicates that the budget for “Ares” was actually $220 million, which doesn’t even account for marketing costs. On that note, the marketing expenses are estimated to be in the $102 million range. As such, if the movie finishes its run at the box office with over/under $160 million, it will lose somewhere in the neighborhood of $130 million for Disney, even after post-theatrical revenue is factored in. Mind you, even the misfire that was “Morbius” made $167 million worldwide, just to help add some more context. And that movie cost a great deal less, boasting a $75 million budget. This is a full-blown trainwreck.

“Ares” centers on the titular character (Leto), a highly sophisticated AI who’s sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, representing humanity’s first encounter with A.I. beings. The impressive ensemble also includes Greta Lee (“Past Lives”), Evan Peters (“WandaVision”), Jodie Turner-Smith (“After Yang”), Cameron Monaghan (“Gotham”), and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”). Jeff Bridges also returns as Flynn from the original “Tron.”

Disney greatly overestimated the audience for a “Tron” movie once again, with the franchise now dead in the water. 2010’s “Tron: Legacy” made $400 million globally on a $170 million budget, which was a so-so return on investment at the time. Waiting 15 years only to deliver a critical misfire, with the audience that cared having already aged out of caring, was a grave error on the studio’s part.

Leto has also cemented his place as outright box office poison, with the actor’s track record downright abysmal. His misses far outweigh his hits, and he hasn’t been a part of an outright theatrical hit since “Suicide Squad” in 2016. His inclusion in this movie, especially in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against him (which he’s denied, via The Hollywood Reporter), was a major factor in its undoing.

In any event, Disney needs to start picking up the pieces after an uneven year. Recall that 2025 has also seen the studio release “Snow White,” which looks to lose around $115 million, along with gigantic hits like the $1 billion juggernaut “Lilo & Stitch.” With that being the case, CEO Bob Iger and the rest of the Mouse House’s top brass need to re-evaluate what is or is not worthy of the big-budget, blockbuster franchise treatment in the future.

“Tron: Ares” is in theaters now.