Disney’s sci-fi sequel “Tron: Ares” failed to make a splash in its box office debut, collecting a disappointing $33.5 million from 4,000 North American theaters over the weekend.
It’s a weak start, even for a five-decade-old franchise that’s never been a commercial juggernaut. The problem is that “Tron: Are” cost $180 million, not counting the many millions the studio spent on marketing. Overseas, “Tron: Ares” didn’t make up much ground, adding another $27 million and bringing the final global figure to $60 million through Sunday.
Heading into the weekend, “Tron: Ares” was aiming for a decent domestic debut of $45 million to $50 million. A neon-colored visual spectacle, the PG-13 film was popular on large premium formats, with Imax, Dolby and 3D screens accounting for 67% of ticket sales.
But despite a “B+” grade in CinemaScore’s exit polls, suggesting that audiences mostly liked the film, the futuristic adventure was unable to expand its audience beyond its target demographic of boys and men. (Nearly 70 percent of the opening weekend crowds were men.) As a result, the weekend’s final tally fell far short of matching the previous installment, 2010’s “Tron: Legacy,” which opened to $44 million, not adjusted for inflation. Ticket sales were, at least, much higher than the original 1982 “Tron,” which launched with $4.7 million on its way to cult status. Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Evan Peters star in the latest installment, directed by “Pirates of the Caribbean” alumnus Joachim Rønning, and follows humanity’s first contact with artificial intelligence as an advanced program enters the physical world.
“The movie was doing well, but interest stagnated over the last 10 days and the opening dropped,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. However, he adds, “the science fiction genre has always worked well overseas. It is an effects-driven, good guys versus bad guys narrative that is understood and appreciated across cultures.”
It was a discouraging weekend at the box office as two other newcomers — Channing Tatum’s comedy-drama “Roofman” and Jennifer Lopez’s musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman” — also struggled to bring crowds together. Without a major blockbuster in October to boost revenue, overall domestic ticket sales are only 4% higher than in 2024, according to Comscore.
In second place, “Roofman” came in at the lower end of expectations with $8 million from 3,340 locations in its opening weekend. “Kiss of the Spider Woman” bowed well below projections at No. 13 with a paltry $840,000 from 1,300 screens. “Roofman” was aiming for between $8 million and $12 million while “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was aiming for between $1.5 million and $3 million.
In the case of “Roofman,” a sub-$8 million start is hardly electrifying for a film starring Tatum. However, the film only cost $19 million to produce, which is not a big financial risk. Paramount distributed “Roofman,” which was developed, financed and produced by Miramax. Derek Cianfrance directed the true story of a former soldier and professional thief who escapes from prison and finds a hideout at a Toys “R” Us. Reviews and word of mouth (the film earned a “B+” rating in CinemaScore exit polls and holds an 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) could help “Roofman” stick around beyond its opening weekend.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” was independently financed for $34 million before being acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate for an unspecified amount after its Sundance debut, making it unclear who will shoulder the theatrical losses. Bill Condon directed the remake, which is set primarily in an Argentinian prison and follows a strange window dresser who invents vivid stories of his favorite movie diva (played by Lopez) to escape the horrors of her imprisonment. This is the second film version of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” following director Héctor Babenco’s acclaimed 1985 feature film, which grossed $17 million worldwide. Even without accounting for inflation over the past 40 years, the new version of “Spider Woman” may struggle to match those sales.
At No. 6, Sony’s faith-based film, “Soul on Fire,” debuted to $3 million in 1,720 theaters. The inspiring story of a man who survived the burns that covered his body resonated with moviegoers, as evidenced by an “A” rating on CinemaScore.
The remaining titles also complete the top of the box office rankings. Third place went to Leonardo DiCaprio’s comedy action film “One Battle After Another,” with $6.7 million from 3,127 theaters, a 38% drop from the previous weekend. So far, the film has grossed $54.5 million in North America and $138 million worldwide. Given that “One Battle” cost over $130 million to produce, the film needs substantial staying power to justify its outsized budget. Ticket sales are typically split 50-50 between studios and theater exhibitors, so “One Battle After Another” requires about $300 million to break even theatrically.
In eighth place, Dwayne Johnson’s R-rated sports drama “The Smashing Machine” saw a 70% drop in its second weekend with $1.7 million from 3,321 theaters. The film, which cost $50 million, has grossed $10.1 million to date and is shaping up to be a big money loser for A24.
In limited release, Luca Guadagnino’s #MeToo thriller “After the Hunt” grossed $154,467 on six screens, or $25,745 per location. Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield star in the film about a college professor (Roberts) who finds himself at a personal and professional crossroads when his mentee (Edebiri) accuses a friend and colleague (Garfield) of crossing a line. The real test of the film’s commercial viability will come when Amazon MGM expands “After the Hunt” nationally next weekend.
Another specialty title, A24’s psychological drama “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You,” grossed $89,164 at four locations in New York and Los Angeles over the weekend, for a per-screen average of $22,291.
More to come…
