How much Tron: Ares needs to make at the box office to break even

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After a long and troubled production, the movie Tron: Ares is now playing in theaters. Many are now asking if it’s been a financial success, and to figure that out, we need to consider how much it cost to make.

This new sci-fi film is the latest installment in the Disney’s Tron franchise, which began with the visually striking 1982 movie, Tron. The original film gained a dedicated fanbase, largely due to its innovative special effects, and a sequel, Tron: Legacy, was released in 2010.

So, it took *fifteen years* to finally get the third movie out, and Jared Leto plays this really smart AI character called Ares. Honestly, it hasn’t been a huge hit with reviewers – it’s sitting at around 57% on Rotten Tomatoes right now, which is kinda disappointing.

Fans of the ‘Tron’ franchise are enjoying the new film, giving it a high approval rating of 87%. Now, the big question is whether ‘Ares’ can appeal to a wider audience beyond its existing fans – and ultimately, whether it will be a hit at the box office.

How much Tron: Ares needs to make to break even

To start, let’s look at the box office numbers. With a production cost of about $180 million, the movie needs to earn at least $450 million to break even.

So, how do we calculate whether a movie is profitable? Generally, a new film needs to earn about 2.5 times its production budget to cover all expenses – things like fees paid to theaters, costs for merchandise, and taxes.

The movie cost around $180 million to make, but that’s just the production budget. Disney usually spends over $100 million more to advertise its big franchises. And, studios don’t get to keep all the money from ticket sales – they typically receive only 50 to 60% of the box office revenue, and even less when the film is shown internationally.

Okay, so even if Tron: Ares does really well and makes $450 million at the box office, it wouldn’t be a *huge* win for Disney. Considering how much it cost to make, it’d be more like a decent, but not amazing, return on their investment. It wouldn’t be a blockbuster-level profit, that’s for sure.

Tron: Ares box office total

As of October 13, 2025, *Tron: Ares* has earned over $33.5 million domestically and $27 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $60.5 million.

Initial forecasts predicted the movie would earn $40 to $45 million domestically during its opening weekend, and around $80 to $90 million worldwide. However, the film didn’t perform as well as expected, which was particularly noticeable since it faced little competition – ‘Roofman’ was the only other major new release that weekend.

Many people in the US were likely watching the MLB playoff game between Toronto and Seattle, or one of the twelve NFL games played on Sunday, October 12th.

According to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, the movie initially looked promising, but audience interest faded in the final 10 days before its release, resulting in a lower-than-expected opening weekend.

He also pointed out that science fiction is consistently popular internationally. He explained that stories with strong visual effects and a clear conflict between good and evil are universally appealing and easily enjoyed by audiences worldwide.

Sales might improve over the next few weeks, but it probably won’t be a major hit for Disney. We’ll update this article with the latest numbers as they become available.

In the meantime, you can explore the new films arriving on streaming services this month and stay updated on upcoming releases with our 2025 movie calendar.

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2025-10-13 13:49