Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · October 14, 2025 · Entertainment

Tron: Ares Flop - Disney's Latest Box Office Disaster?

Leto is seen here in the latest installment of the film franchise, which has so far not lived up to financial expectations

DISNEY'S LATEST REBOOT TRAGEDY: TRON: ARES CRASHES AND BURNS AT THE BOX OFFICE

In a shocking display of Hollywood hubris, Disney's latest attempt at reviving its 1982 classic, Tron, has tanked spectacularly. The movie, titled Tron: Ares, grossed a paltry $33.5 million in its opening weekend across 4,000 theaters in the US, leaving many wondering what could have gone so wrong.

The film's astronomical price tag of $180 million only serves to highlight the sheer magnitude of Disney's flop. And it gets worse - the movie's takings were equally dismal abroad, with Tron: Ares raking in just $27 million outside of the US, bringing its total gross to a measly $60 million.

Box office pundit Scott Mendelson said giving Leto the lead role, and making him the face of the movie, was a sign that the film would tank

Industry insiders are pointing fingers at Disney's questionable decision-making, with many pinning the blame on the film's lead actor, Jared Leto. The 53-year-old actor has been cast as the face of Tron: Ares, and his inclusion in the project is being seen as a major misstep.

According to Scott Mendelson, a respected box office pundit for thescholarlynote.com, Leto's casting was "a negative signal" that the movie would tank. "He's not a box office draw," Mendelson wrote, highlighting Leto's last disaster performance in Sony's 'Morbius'. "Audiences don't really care about him."

Mendelson's scathing review of Tron: Ares doesn't stop there. He also takes aim at Disney's decision to reboot the franchise, citing the 2010 sequel, Tron: Legacy, as evidence that the original was not in need of reviving.

Mendelson said higher ups in the company also seemed to disregard the 2010 sequel of the 1982 original in the latest flick

"The first Tron came out in 1982 and became an oddball cult classic known for its groundbreaking special effects and graphics," Mendelson explains. "But Tron: Legacy, which made a respectable $410 million on a $170 million budget, should have been enough to prove that the original was still relevant."

However, it seems Disney wasn't listening. Despite the success of Tron: Legacy, the company saw fit to reboot the franchise once again with Tron: Ares. And now, with its box office numbers in freefall, it's clear that the decision has backfired spectacularly.

But what really has Disney executives running for cover is the criticism of their casting choices. Not only have they been accused of favoring diversity over talent, but also of trying to ride the coattails of popular franchises without putting in the effort to make them truly great.

Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, is seen here attending the World Premiere of Marvel Studios' 'Thunderbolts' on April 28, 2025

Mendelson is adamant that Disney's approach to rebooting classic films has become a tired and predictable formula. "It's borderline malpractice to put a nine-figure, all-quadrant tentpole almost exclusively on the back of an actor whose last big movie as a franchise headliner was so ill-conceived that even kids and Marvel superfans thought it was terrible," he writes.

And it's not just Leto who's taking heat for his role in Tron: Ares. Disney's decision to reboot the film, despite its relatively recent predecessor, is also being seen as a sign of desperation.

The company's attempts to revive classic franchises are starting to look like a recipe for disaster. The Terminator series, which was rebooted multiple times between 2009 and 2019, failed to gain traction with audiences each time. And even the Judge Dredd franchise, which has been in development hell since 1995, is being revived despite its previous flops.

Mendelson said what Disney have done to Tron is their push to recycle franchises until they've scraped the barrel with them

It's clear that Disney needs to take a long, hard look at its reboot strategy if it wants to avoid further embarrassment on the big screen.

But what does this mean for Disney's future plans? According to insiders, the company is now looking to cast a white actress in its upcoming reboot of Tangled, which was only released in 2010. It seems that after the massive flop of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, starring Rachel Zegler, Disney has had a change of heart.

The company's decision to ditch its DEI-focused casting approach in favor of more traditional choices is seen as a sign that they're willing to learn from their mistakes. But will it be enough to save them from themselves?

Only time will tell, but one thing is certain - Tron: Ares has become the latest casualty in Disney's ongoing battle to prove its relevance in the ever-changing world of Hollywood.