Disney's 'Tron: Ares' Could Be a Box Office Hit
Disney's 'Tron: Ares' is generating buzz with early previews generating $4.8 million, including limited Wednesday early shows and previews that began at 2 PM yesterday. The film is on track to potentially open to over $40 million, which would be a strong start. However, the box office landscape is competitive, with the fall season ahead of last year by just 2% and a plethora of star-studded adult movies not performing as expected.
The male-dominated 'Tron: Ares' faces competition from the MLB playoffs and the NFL this weekend. Despite this, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 86%, which is higher than the previous installment, 'Tron: Legacy,' which received a 64% fresh rating. This is a positive sign for the film's potential success.
'Tron: Ares' previews are ahead of 'Tron: Legacy's' preview cash, which was $3.6 million, but that was in the era of midnight previews. The film is now tracking alongside fan-favorite reboots like 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Alien: Romulus,' both of which had strong preview numbers. It's also underperforming compared to Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,' which had a $5.8 million preview.
Advance ticket sales for 'Tron: Ares' were at $7 million before opening, similar to 'Alien: Romulus,' which opened to $42 million. 'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' bowed to $45 million. The film, directed by Joachim Rønning, is ahead of 'Equalizer 3,' which yielded a $3.8 million preview and a $35 million 3-day opening.
Miramax and Paramount's romantic comedy 'Roofman,' starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, collected $1 million from 2,800 locations yesterday, with showtimes starting at 7 PM. Audiences gave the film 4 out of 5 stars on PostTrak, and reviews are at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. The $19 million production goes wide today at 3,362 sites.
Tatum's previous film, 'Dog,' did $1.26 million in Valentine's Day sneaks and previews before earning a $5 million Friday and $14.8 million 3-day weekend, driven by his female audience. However, 'Dog' was rated PG-13, while 'Roofman' is rated R, which may impact its overall performance.
