It’s been a while since we’ve had a real Hollywood tentpole at the fall box office, and the hope is that Disney’s film Tron: Ares it’s exactly that with a 80 to 90 million dollars worldwide to start.
Comscore reports that the current fall box office (after Labor Day through this past Sunday) stands at $673.8 million+$10.8 million compared to the same framework a year ago. Although this is good news, especially if we compare it to last fall, dominated by the success of the Warner Bros. film. Beetle juice Beetle juice ($294.1 million US/$452 million WW), the successes we’ve had so far in the US have been aimed at a niche audience, i.e. Crunchyroll/Sony’s. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle ($125 million) and AMC’s standalone weekend opening Taylor Swift: Showgirl’s Official Release Party ($34 million). And yes, there was New Line Conjuration: last rites at $168.2 million US/$459.6 million WW, which is the highest-grossing title in the Saffron Company/Atomic Monster horror franchise.
Currently, studio, NRG tracking and advance ticket sales point to a 40 to 45 million dollars nationally opening for Tron: Ares in 4,000 rooms, which continues the cyber saga. This time, rather than getting stuck in a video game, the Tron AI guys come to Earth in what is a war between two tech companies. Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn, the guy who created this alter-tech world war. Jared Leto, who also produces, plays Ares. Former Disney production boss Sean Bailey produces under the direction of Joachim Rønning. THE Kon Tiki The Oscar-nominated filmmaker has directed several Disney films, including Young woman at the sea, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ($491.7 million) and the last Pirates movie, 2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ($795.9 million).
Advance tickets in the United States went on sale September 4 and have since grossed $7 million, about the same range as Alien Romulus ahead of its $42 million debut in August 2024. Guys over and under 25 are of course the catch, with a female following in line with other installments similar to recent fanboys of Planet of the Apes, Transformers And Ghostbusters.
Tron: Ares will have all the advanced ticket supplement capabilities including Imax, Dolby, premium large format exhibitor displays, ScreenX, D-Box and 4DX with strong 3D support. The third Tron the film also has the power of PLF abroad.
Tron: Ares cycles in all international markets this weekend, except China which launches on October 17 with a overseas launch also between $40 to $45 million. Today, the French and Korean majors are in the spotlight. Thursday adds a host of markets, such as Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Mexico. Friday ends with the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain and India, among others. Previews in the US and Canada begin tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Regarding the opening competitions abroad, last year’s Extraterrestrial: Romulus fell to $45.5 million like-for-like overseas and at today’s exchange rates. A high-end model is that of 2024 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which debuted to $64 million like-for-like. With 15 years interval between the previous Tron and this one, Tron: Legacy, is a bit of an older model, but it’s worth noting that it opened to $39.9 million (also in the same markets and at current prices). This Joseph Kosinski-directed reboot opened to $44 million at the domestic box office after more than a year of promotion and finished its run to $172 million domestic, $400 million worldwide on a production cost of $170 million. Tron: Ares costs $10 million more at $180 million.
We expect a mix of large European companies – Germany in particular stands out very well – and Latin America to draw the most support. The film could face challenges in parts of Asia, given the general sluggishness towards Hollywood films of late and the lack of nostalgia for a 43-year-old feature film.
Rønning and the cast went on a full-throttle European tour with stops in Malaga, Milan, Berlin, Paris and London. Stunts took place on rooftops in the style of Piccadilly Circus last week. The Hollywood premiere, which included a concert by the pic’s composers, Nine Inch Nails, took place Monday under red laser light and fans literally showed up with their custom-made film. Tron: Ares costumes.
Critics have never been fans of Tron: The original 1982 film is 61% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the 2010 one. Tron’s Legacy at 51%. Tron: Ares is currently 54% rotten. Tron: Legacy received a CinemaScore B+. Nevertheless, the franchise created by Steven Lisberger continues at the box office.
Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst star in Paramount Pictures’ “ROOFMAN.”
Paramount directed Derek Cianfrance from Miramax starring Channing Tatum-Kirsten Dunst, Roofer, which should happen approximately $10 million in 3,100 theaters in the United States. The film, based on the true story of thief Jeffrey Manchester, tells the story of how he hid in a Toys ‘R Us and fell in love with one of the employees following his series of thefts at McDonalds. His technique? He makes his way to the restaurant via the roof. The film before P&A cost $19 million. After its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Roofer amounts to 84% fees. Tatum films tend to primarily favor women, his 2022 title Dog attracting 54%. Previews begin at 7 p.m.
Jennifer Lopez in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
Sundance Film Festival
Roadside Attractions Released Bill Condon’s $30 Million Net Cost Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and newcomer Tonatiuh. Based specifically on the Broadway version of the musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb (which was based on the novel by Manuel Puig and the 1985 Academy Award-winning film directed by Hector Babenco), Kiss of the Spider Woman is supposed to do $1.5 million to $3.5 million opening in 1,300 theaters in the United States and Canada. Mongrel is the sub-distributor for Canada. Understand this about the film: Roadside Attractions is not responsible for the $30 million-plus budget, and neither was this entire acquisition. The film is a distribution deal for RSA that benefits from a flat fee and a percentage of the box office. LD Entertainment is handling the P&A which costs less than $10 million, from what I hear. LD Entertainment gets paid first. AGC Studios handled foreign rights while WME handled domestic rights. The film, after its world premiere at Sundance, is 80% new among critics. U.S. previews begin at 1 p.m.
