Jared Leto’s Star Power Questioned After Tron: Ares Flops
Hollywood insiders are reportedly wondering if the Morbius star can still carry a franchise movie.
Jared Leto’s return to blockbuster sci-fi in Tron: Ares has not gone according to plan. The film, directed by Joachim Rønning and intended to revitalize the Tron franchise many years after Tron: Legacy was released, opened to a $33.5 million domestic debut, falling short of expectations. According to a new report over at THR, this underwhelming performance has now sparked questions about Leto’s box office draw.
In Tron: Ares, Jared Leto plays the titular Ares, a brand new figure in the Grid universe who emerges to challenge the legacy of the other Tron films. Unfortunately, despite the hype surrounding Leto’s casting, critics have been mixed on his performance. Some have praised his commitment to the role and his usual watchability, but others have noted that his character’s motivations are underdeveloped, leaving some audiences less than charmed.
Tron: Ares’s $33.5 million opening is well below industry projections and an extra large “oof” considering the film’s reported $200 million production budget. Strong international ticket sales and a solid streaming performance will be necessary to at least somewhat offset the film’s domestic shortfall.
Leto was the face of the movie, both onscreen and during the press tour, and helped to slowly push it through the Hollywood development mill. At some point, the movie was even rejigged to focus on his character. In return, he also reportedly earned “a high seven figures for the role, plus a seven-figure producing fee.”
According to THR’s report, it’s thought that the money Leto got for Tron: Ares “could be in the past”, with an insider alleging to have said “studios already had stepped away from the actor as a leading-man choice after the failure of Sony’s Spider-Man universe spinoff Morbius.”
But another insider apparently has a different viewpoint on the matter. “You could have had Ryan Gosling, it wasn’t going to work. No one asked for this reboot. If you say, ‘Tron: Ares is good, we just needed a different actor,’ you’re deluding yourself.”
Leto’s next big movie is the Masters of the Universe reboot, due for release in 2026.
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Kirsten Howard has paid their dues. Yes sir, the check is in the mail.