Disney’s Tron: Ares Is Still Holding on to the Charts in America

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Disney first launched the Tron series in 1982 and has been working to improve it ever since. While the 2025 movie didn’t do well in theaters, it became very popular on streaming services.

The new sci-fi film Tron: Ares premiered on Disney+ on January 7th and quickly gained popularity. While it’s no longer the most-watched title, it has remained in the Top 10 for 37 out of the 40 days since its release in the US. As of February 16th, Tron: Ares is currently ranked eighth, having recently moved up one spot.

Disney+ recently launched a new series called Locker Diaries: ZOMBIES, bringing back popular characters from the ZOMBIES movies. It quickly became a hit, rising to the top of the charts.

Despite recent changes and additions, Tron: Ares is still performing reasonably well. While it left the global top movie charts on February 12th after a several-week run, it continues to hold strong in the United States.

The new movie, Tron: Ares, came out in theaters on October 10th, fifteen years after Tron: Legacy. While it had some things in common with earlier Tron films and included a brief appearance by Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, Garrett Hedlund didn’t return as Flynn’s son, Sam, a role he played in the 2010 movie.

The new film, Tron: Ares, centers on a rivalry between two tech companies, ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, who are both racing to create a groundbreaking “permanence code.” This code would essentially blur the line between the digital and real worlds, and the competition builds on the history established in earlier Tron movies.

Honestly, it was a little disappointing that Jeff Bridges was the only original cast member to show up. The new movie really focused on a fresh set of characters. We had Greta Lee playing Eve Kim, the current head of ENCON, and Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger – Ed Dillinger’s grandson, who’s now running Dillinger Systems. Gillian Anderson was fantastic as Julian’s mother, Elisabeth, and Ed’s daughter, rounding out the main family dynamic.

Jared Leto, originally from Louisiana, starred as the main character, a new program designed by Julian Dillinger for combat. Jodie Turner-Smith played Athena, who was second-in-command to Ares within the program.

Will Tron Continue?

For the last forty years, Disney has been trying to turn the Tron series into a money-maker, but it hasn’t quite taken off. The original Tron film earned $50 million globally on a $17 million budget and remains the most financially successful installment in the franchise.

The 2010 sequel cost much more to make—ten times the original—but earned only $409.9 million, barely covering its costs. Tron: Ares, the third film, performed even worse. It cost an estimated $180 to $220 million to produce, but only brought in $141.8 million worldwide.

Despite not performing well in theaters, the film found significant success on streaming platforms and was well-received by viewers. It currently has an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 5,000 reviews, though audience scores are lower at 53%.

Disney hasn’t announced any plans for more movies in this series. However, the franchise has a history of lasting a long time with sequels and reboots appearing years apart, so it’s possible Disney could revisit it again in the future – perhaps in another 15 years.

Tron: Ares is streaming on Disney+.

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2026-02-17 00:07