{"id":208137,"date":"2025-10-12T15:42:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T15:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/208137\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T15:42:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T15:42:07","slug":"ares-tops-box-office-over-roofman-kiss-of-the-spider-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/208137\/","title":{"rendered":"Ares Tops Box Office Over Roofman, Kiss of the Spider Woman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tDisney\u2019s sci-fi sequel \u201cTron: Ares<\/a>\u201d failed to connect in its box office debut, collecting a disappointing $33.5 million from 4,000 North American theaters over the weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a weak start, even for a five-decade old franchise that\u2019s never been a commercial juggernaut. The trouble is that \u201cTron: Are\u201d carries a massive $180 million price tag, not including the many millions the studio spent on marketing. Overseas, \u201cTron: Ares\u201d didn\u2019t make up much ground, adding another $27 million and putting the final global number at $60 million through Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeading into the weekend, \u201cTron Ares\u201d was targeting a decent domestic debut<\/a> of $45 million to $50 million. Despite a \u201cB+\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls, the action adventure wasn\u2019t able to expand its audience beyond its target demographic of boys and men. As a result, the final weekend tally didn\u2019t come close to matching the prior installment, 2010\u2019s \u201cTron: Legacy,\u201d which opened to $44 million, not adjusted for inflation. Ticket sales were, at least, way above the original 1982 \u201cTron\u201d which launched with $4.7 million on its way to cult status. Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Evan Peters star in the newest installment, which was directed by \u201cPirates of the Caribbean\u201d alum Joachim R\u00f8nning and topically follows humanity\u2019s first contact with artificial intelligence as an advance program enters the physical world.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe movie was tracking well, but interest stalled during the last 10 days and the opening dropped,\u201d says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. However, he adds, \u201cthe science fiction genre has always done well overseas. This is effects-driven, good-guys-versus-bad-guys storytelling that\u2019s understood and well-liked across all cultures.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tIt was a dispiriting weekend at the box office as two fellow newcomers \u2014 Channing Tatum\u2019s dramedy \u201cRoofman<\/a>\u201d and Jennifer Lopez\u2019s musical \u201cKiss of the Spider Woman\u201d \u2014 also struggled to pack in crowds. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn second place, \u201cRoofman\u201d arrived on the lower end of expectations with $8 million from 3,340 locations in its opening weekend. \u201cKiss of the Spider Woman\u201d bowed far below projections at No. 13 with a paltry $840,000 from 1,300 screens. \u201cRoofman\u201d was aiming for $8 million to $12 million while \u201cKiss of the Spider Woman\u201d was targeting $1.5 million to $3 million. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn the case of \u201cRoofman,\u201d a start below $8 million is hardly electrifying for something starring Tatum. However the film cost just $19 million to produce so not much of a financial risk. Paramount distributed \u201cRoofman,\u201d 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 in a Toys \u201cR\u201d Us. Reviews and word-of-mouth (the film earned a \u201cB+\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls and holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes) could help \u201cRoofman\u201d stick around beyond its opening weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cKiss of the Spider Woman\u201d was independently financed for $34 million\u00a0before it was acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate for an unspecified sum after its Sundance debut, making it unclear who will shoulder the theatrical losses. This is the second film version of \u201cKiss of the Spider Woman\u201d following the acclaimed 1985 feature from director H\u00e9ctor Babenco, which grossed $17 million globally. Even without adjusting for inflation over the past 40 years, the new take on \u201cSpider Woman\u201d might struggle to match those sales. Bill Condon directed the remake, which takes place mostly in an Argentinian prison and follows a queer window dresser who dreams up vivid stories of his favorite screen diva to escape the horrors of his imprisonment. <\/p>\n

\n\tAt No. 6, Sony\u2019s faith-based Sony\u2019s faith-based \u201cSoul on Fire\u201d debuted to $2.8 million from 1,720 theaters. The inspirational story, about a man who survived fire burns that covered his body, has resonated with moviegoers, evidenced by the \u201cA\u201d grade on CinemaScore.<\/p>\n

\n\tHoldover titles otherwise rounded out the top of box office charts. Third place went to Leonardo DiCaprio\u2019s comedic action epic \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d with $6.8 million from 3,127 theaters, declining 38% from the prior weekend. So far, the film has earned $56.3 million in North America and $125 million globally. Since \u201cOne Battle\u201d cost above $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 operators, so \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d requires roughly $300 million to break even theatrically.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn eighth place, Dwayne Johnson\u2019s R-rated sports drama \u201cThe\u00a0Smashing Machine\u201d cratered by 70% in its second weekend with $1.7 million from 3,321 venues. The film, which cost $50 million, has grossed $10.1 million to date and is shaping up to be a major money loser for A24. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn limited release, Luca Guadagnino\u2019s #MeToo thriller \u201cAfter the Hunt\u201d earned $154,467 from six screens, translating to $25,745 per location. Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield star in the film about a college professor (Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when her mentee (Edebiri) accuses a friend and colleague (Garfield) of crossing a line. The true test of the film\u2019s commercial viability will come when Amazon MGM expands \u201cAfter the Hunt\u201d nationwide next weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore to come\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Disney\u2019s sci-fi sequel \u201cTron: Ares\u201d failed to connect in its box office debut, collecting a disappointing $33.5 million…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,134,344,87505,2267],"class_list":{"0":"post-208137","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-movies","12":"tag-roofman","13":"tag-tron-ares"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}