Disney’s 2025 Flop Gains New Life on Streaming

The box office is not the only measure of a movie’s success, but for a film that cost over $200 million to produce, it plays a crucial role. This was certainly the case with "Tron: Ares," Disney’s long-awaited sequel to 2010’s "Tron: Legacy," which itself followed the ’80s cult classic "Tron." Unfortunately, "Ares" failed to meet expectations and became one of Disney’s most significant flops in 2025, possibly rivaling Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s "Snow White." While it may not be a major victory, the long-awaited "Tron" sequel has found an audience on streaming platforms.

After its debut on Disney+ on January 7, "Tron: Ares" quickly climbed to the top of the streamer’s charts, currently holding the number one spot according to FlixPatrol. It now sits above both "Avatar" and "Avatar: The Way of Water," as viewers watch these films to catch up before seeing "Avatar: Fire and Ash," which recently crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office.

For director Joachim Rønning’s "Ares," the experience was quite different. The sequel follows a highly sophisticated Program named Ares (Jared Leto), who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humanity’s first encounter with AI beings. However, the film performed poorly at the box office during its opening weekend, further solidifying Jared Leto’s reputation as box office poison.

The movie earned just $142 million worldwide, falling far short of recouping its production costs. As a result, Disney can only hope that the film will generate revenue elsewhere in the coming years to offset the losses. At the very least, it has become a streaming hit, satisfying subscribers. However, the extent to which this helps ease the financial blow remains unclear.

Disney and Rønning assembled an impressive cast for the movie, including Greta Lee ("Past Lives"), Evan Peters ("American Horror Story"), Jodie Turner-Smith ("Queen & Slim"), Cameron Monaghan ("Gotham"), Gillian Anderson ("Sex Education"), and Jeff Bridges, who reprised his role as Flynn from the previous "Tron" movies. The film also features a soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails, adding another layer of appeal.

Despite this, the initial reception was not favorable. Critics were largely mixed on the final product. In Witney Seibold’s review of "Tron: Ares" for /Film, he called it a "thoughtless sequel," stating that the "movie is quite bad." Whether or not audiences who are watching it at home agree is irrelevant. The marketing and critical response failed to convince people to see it in theaters, which is essential for a blockbuster of this scale.

Unsurprisingly, Disney is reportedly putting the "Tron" franchise on hold following this movie’s failure. Perhaps there was an opportunity to capitalize on the relative success of "Legacy" back in 2010, but that window has since closed. Alternatively, the film that was released did not resonate with the audience that had been hoping to see it. While the streaming success is a positive development for Disney, "Tron: Ares" still has a long way to go to truly redeem itself, given how poorly it performed overall.

You can also purchase "Tron: Ares" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon. If you’re looking for the easiest way to stay updated on all the major movie and TV news, consider signing up for our free newsletter. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.