Earlier this week, we predicted that Tron: Ares would overcome its fair-to-middling reviews to open in the $40 million range. While that would be significantly less than the $44 million Tron: Legacy opened with fifteen years ago (not adjusted for inflation), Deadline is reporting that the third film in the franchise is falling short. It looks like Tron: Ares will open in the $35-7 million range. That’s not a great total for a movie that cost at least $150 million to produce, but there’s a chance the worldwide box office will still allow it to break even for the studio.
Interestingly, it can’t be said that this is an unexpectedly poor opening. The fact is, Tron movies have never really connected with the public in a huge way. The 1982 movie was an infamous underperformer back in 1982, while Legacy didn’t make enough money to pave the way for the immediate sequels Disney had been preparing around the time it came out. And then there’s the Jared Leto of it all. Always a controversial figure, he’s never really proven himself much of a box office draw, with his Spider-Man spinoff, Morbius, an infamous flop a few years ago. However, audiences seem to be mostly enjoying Ares, scoring a B+ CinemaScore.
Channing Tatum’s Roofman should open in the $8 million range, which is disappointing for a star-driven vehicle. However, the film is so good (read our review) that the hope is that word-of-mouth will give it some legs at the box office. That said, it’s not a good sign when quality movies like this don’t fare well in theaters, making it seem like the only place for a star-driven drama nowadays is on streaming. If it had come out a decade ago, Roofman would have been a hit. One Battle After Another should climb into third place with $6.7 million for a $54 million total. While not a hit, hopefully One Battle After Another will turn a profit, as again it’s the kind of movie studios SHOULD be making (many believe its performance led to WB letting Amazon pick up Heat 2).
What are you watching this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
