Verdict: 3/5 — A visual and sonic triumph that looks spectacular in premium formats but runs on a thin, formulaic script. The Nine Inch Nails score is electric, the light-cycle chases are glorious, and Jeff Bridges is a welcome presence — but Jared Leto’s flat lead performance and a by-the-numbers plot keep the Grid from fully rebooting.
| Director | Joachim Rønning |
| Cast | Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan |
| Runtime | 119 minutes (1h 59m) |
| Release | October 10, 2026 (theatrical, US) |
| Budget | Reported ~$180 million |
| Box office | ~$33.5M opening weekend (domestic); ~$60.5M global opening |
| Rotten Tomatoes | ~57% critics / 87% audience |
| CinemaScore | B+ |
Plot Summary (Spoiler-Light)
Fifteen years after Tron: Legacy, the story flips the franchise’s central premise: instead of a human being pulled into the digital world, a highly sophisticated program is sent out of it. Jared Leto plays Ares, a sentient program dispatched from the Grid into the real world on a dangerous mission for the Dillinger family — humanity’s first encounter with AI beings.
Greta Lee plays Eve Kim, the CEO of ENCOM, who finds herself on the run as Ares hunts his target through Los Angeles. Evan Peters plays Julian Dillinger, heir to the tech dynasty that has chased the Grid’s secrets since the original 1982 film, while Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, the architect of it all, bridging the old trilogy to the new.
What Works
The Grid has never looked better. Director Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Young Woman and the Sea) delivers genuinely spectacular set pieces. The light-cycle sequences and the film’s vision of programs materializing in the real world are the franchise’s best reason to exist — nearly 70% of the opening-weekend gross came from premium-format screens, and that makes perfect sense. This is a film built for IMAX.
The Nine Inch Nails score is the movie’s engine. Following Daft Punk’s legendary work on Legacy, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (scoring as Nine Inch Nails) give the film a pounding industrial heartbeat that elevates every chase and confrontation. It’s the single most consistently praised element of the film.
Jeff Bridges remains the franchise’s soul. His return as Kevin Flynn lands exactly as you’d hope — weathered, zen, and grounding a film that otherwise risks feeling like pure chrome. Every scene he’s in breathes.
The premise inversion is genuinely clever. Programs entering our world instead of the other way around is the freshest idea the franchise has had since 1982, and the film’s best moments wring real wonder from it.
What Doesn’t
Jared Leto can’t open a film — and he can’t carry this one. Leto plays Ares as a machine learning to feel, which in practice means long stretches of affectless staring. For a character who is supposed to be discovering humanity, he discovers remarkably little of it on screen.
The script is paint-by-numbers blockbuster plotting. Evil tech heir, noble CEO on the run, sentient-weapon-with-a-heart — you’ve seen every beat before, and Tron: Ares never surprises you with any of them. The clever premise gets buried under franchise-table-setting.
The box office tells the real story. A $33.5 million domestic opening from over 4,000 theaters — well below projections, and below Tron: Legacy‘s $44 million debut back in 2010 — makes this one of Disney’s most expensive disappointments. Audiences who did show up were kinder than critics (87% audience score, B+ CinemaScore), but the turnout wasn’t there.
Cast & Performances
- Jared Leto (Ares): Committed physically, vacant emotionally — the film’s central problem.
- Greta Lee (Eve Kim): The most human performance in the film; she does the most with the least.
- Evan Peters (Julian Dillinger): Menacing in a role that gives him little to do beyond menace.
- Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn): The franchise’s beating heart, however briefly he appears.
- Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan: Solid in supporting turns.
Where to Watch Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares is currently playing in theaters, with premium formats (IMAX, Dolby) strongly recommended — the visuals and score are the entire point of the ticket. No streaming date has been announced yet; expect a digital release a few weeks after the theatrical window, with Disney+ to follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tron: Ares a sequel or a reboot?
It’s a legacy sequel — the third film in the franchise after Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010), with Jeff Bridges returning to connect the stories.
Who plays Ares in Tron: Ares?
Jared Leto, as the sentient program of the title.
Why did Tron: Ares flop at the box office?
A ~$33.5M domestic opening fell well short of projections against a reported ~$180M budget. Mixed reviews (around 57% on Rotten Tomatoes), franchise fatigue, and a crowded October all contributed.
Is Tron: Ares worth watching?
For the visuals and the Nine Inch Nails score alone — yes, in a premium theater. For the story — temper your expectations. Audiences rated it more kindly (87%) than critics.
Will there be a Tron 4?
Disney hasn’t announced anything, and the weak box office makes a direct sequel unlikely in the near term.