Disney‘s Tron: Ares, the next installment in the Steven Lisberger and Bonnie Macbird created videogame-future society feature series, hit tracking this AM with an outlook of $44M when it opens on Oct. 10.
While that might sound like a similar start to the previous 2010 movie, Tron: Legacy, which bowed to $44M, there is potential for upside we hear. Of late on tracking, Imax fueled tentpoles like F1, Conjuring: Last Rite and Weapons, have seen their actual box office dollars leaving their forecasts in the dust.
Tickets went on sale two weeks ago and are totaling around $2M, we hear, the comps being Gladiator 2 ($55M), F1 ($57M) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($60.3M). The marketing campaign post a big splash at San Diego Comic-Con is just coming into effect with spots during NFL and college football games. In addition, Disney World just adorned their Tron LightCycle Ride at the Magic Kingdom with the latest movie’s red and black lights to jazz up potential moviegoers.
Men over 25 in unaided awareness and first choice are strongest with the Joachim Rønning directed movie which stars Oscar winner Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges reprising his franchise role as Kevin Flynn. In overall, first choice, Tron: Ares is ahead of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($61M opening), Ready Player One ($41.7M), Furiosa ($26.3M) and 2 points behind Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ($58.4M).
Blurb for Tron: Ares: A highly sophisticated Program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. The Tron franchise, first born in 1982, through two movies counts around $433M at the global box office.
Also opening wide on Oct. 10 is Miramax/Paramount’s Derek Cianfrance Channing Tatum-Kirsten Dunst crime romance, Roofman, which is eyeing around a $10M start after Rotten Tomatoes reviews of 83% post its TIFF world premiere, and Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate/LD Entertainment’s Sundance pick-up, Kiss of the Spider Woman, which is spinning around a $5M start with 82% fresh Rotten Tomatoes reviews.