Will a franchise in its fifth decade be able to activate the box office?
That’s the mission for Disney’s sci-fi sequel “Tron: Ares,” which is tracking a debut of $45 million to $50 million from 4,000 North American theaters over the weekend. That’s about even with 2010’s “Tron: Legacy,” which opened to $44 million (not adjusted for inflation) and, of course, way above the original 1982 “Tron,” which launched with $4.7 million on its way to cult status. Internationally, “Tron: Ares” is aiming for $40 million to $45 million, which could put the global number between $85 million and $95 million by Sunday.
Though hailed for groundbreaking visuals (the initial entry was one of the first movies to extensively use CGI), “Tron” has never been a hugely commercial film franchise; the first movie ended up grossing $50 million worldwide against a $17 million budget, while the second installment earned $400 million globally against a $170 million budget. The third installment is the most expensive yet with a price tag of $180 million.
Directed by “Pirates of the Caribbean” alum Joachim Rønning, “Tron: Ares” follows humanity’s first contact with artificial intelligence as an advanced program is sent from the digital realm into the physical world. Jeff Bridges is reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from the previous films while Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Evan Peters have joined the cast. Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge praised the visual flair of “Ares,” adding that it otherwise “reads mostly as an exercise in nostalgia.”
This weekend’s other newcomers won’t come close to “Tron: Ares” on box office charts. Paramount’s R-rated dramedy “Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, is aiming for $8 million to $12 million from 3,340 locations in its opening weekend. And Jennifer Lopez’s musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman” is targeting $1.5 million to $3 million from 1,300 screens, a disastrous kickoff for the film.
“Roofman,” directed by “Blue Valentine” filmmaker Derek Cianfrance, tells the true story of a former soldier and professional thief who escapes from prison and finds a hideout in a Toys “R” Us. Developed, financed and produced by Miramax, “Roofman” carries a modest $19 million budget. The film has been well reviewed (an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes), which the studio hopes will help in terms of positive word-of-mouth. In Variety’s review, Debruge singled out the performances of Tatum and Dunst, writing that the “through-the-roof chemistry between the two leads that makes the film worthy of repeat viewing.”
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” was independently financed in the high $30 million range and acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate after its Sundance debut. Bill Condon directed the remake, which takes place mostly in an Argentinian prison and follows a queer window dresser who dreams up vivid stories of his favorite screen diva to escape the horrors of his imprisonment. This is the second film version of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” following the acclaimed 1985 feature from director Héctor Babenco, which grossed $17 million globally. Even without adjusting for inflation over the past 40 years, the new take on “Spider Woman” might struggle to match those sales.
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From Variety US