"Tron: Legacy" May Fall Short at Box Office

[ChrisFL]

There's one big thing going for it, it looks like pure eye candy...in 3D IMAX (real IMAX hopefully) I think it's going to be visually stunning and I can't wait to see it.

Also, while I'm not a huge fan of the original, I enjoyed it and liked the idea from an "attraction worthy" perspective...it's a movie franchise that lends itself perfectly to Tomorrowland style attractions IF the general public goes to see it.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I can't wait toi see Tron, and I am a 50+ yr old woman. But I love Sci Fi movies.

We are selling loads of Tron product already at the Disneystores.

 

[TisBit]

I have noticed the Tron hype starting up....and I think that Disney has actually responded to more enthusiasm than they originally expected. Really, there wasn't a ton of advertising, but there seemed to be a decent amount of interest...it will be interesting to see how it does.

I am not so sure that Disney not re-releasing the old Tron or at least making it available through Netflix, etc is such a great idea though. I remember Tron when it came out, but don't think I ever watched the movie (only parts) and actually went looking for it. Apparently Disney has redone it (enhanced, etc) the original but has held off the release of it and neither appear to be headed to Netflix, or the other DVD companies (not sure about on demand or regular DVD sales) and that could really hurt its revenue in the end.

 

[LostBoy89]

I didnt see nearly as much marketing for Alice as I have for Tron. (In my opinion, the electronica atmosphere is actually really cool. I could do without the dancers though hahahaa). Im sure Tron will do well, I dont think it will do anything near to what Alice did though. Alice had a high overseas gross. I personally didnt like the movie, but Ive never really been a huge Tim Burton fan.

 

[MJMcBride]

Perhaps, but it's definitely in competition for that award with another Disney attempt at Sci-fi: their infamous 1979 production of "The Black Hole." At least that disaster lived up to its name...in terms of its use of the Disney film studio budget.

and I have heard they may remake this as well

 

[puntagordabob]

I loved Tron and The Black Hole....both were great movies....perhaps both a little ahead of their time....

 

[ChrisFL]

I have noticed the Tron hype starting up....and I think that Disney has actually responded to more enthusiasm than they originally expected. Really, there wasn't a ton of advertising, but there seemed to be a decent amount of interest...it will be interesting to see how it does.

I am not so sure that Disney not re-releasing the old Tron or at least making it available through Netflix, etc is such a great idea though. I remember Tron when it came out, but don't think I ever watched the movie (only parts) and actually went looking for it. Apparently Disney has redone it (enhanced, etc) the original but has held off the release of it and neither appear to be headed to Netflix, or the other DVD companies (not sure about on demand or regular DVD sales) and that could really hurt its revenue in the end.

The odd part is that TRON WAS available through Netflix several months ago and it's only recently changed...not sure why.

Disney is releasing a blu-ray version, but I don't know when

 

[kolohe_lady]

I grew up watching the original Tron and have always loved it. I'm not at all a 'techie' person. My cell phone, iPod, and laptop are 3 separate devices, none of which are newer than 2 years old or involve touch screens. I don't even have internet access at home! But I guess I'm a geek at heart. When I heard that a new Tron was coming out I was torn between feelings of 'YAY!' and 'Man, I hope it doesn't suck.' I love Disney, but know they are fully capable of making terrible, terrible movies. Especially the live-action ones. I did like the new Alice, but I'm a long time Burton fan, and it's a very Burton movie. I'm sure I'll see the new Tron in the theater. My friends and family that I've talked to feel the same as me. We're anxious to see it, but not letting our hopes get too high.

 

[Golf4food]

I am 31 years old, so I grew up with the original Tron on TV and can't wait for the new one, I'll be there opening weekend to see it in 3D. Already have a Tron t-shirt from the Disney store (wish it was glow in the dark - how could they miss that!?). I have many friends my age who are also very much looking forward to seeing it.

There are plenty of movies lacking in script or that are just a ripoff of past scripts that are mostly eye candy that do well these days. Just look at Avatar (aka Pocahontas in Space).

 

[CandyMandy]

I could weigh in on the "style over substance" element behind the "eye candy" comments....but I won't.

However, on the tangent of the FX in this film, here's an interesting story that made me tell my husband "you were right." About what? Well, for years he's been saying it was only a matter of time before technology would be used to make older actors look much younger - or to actually re-create a dead actor.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101207/ap_en_ot/us_tron_digitally_young_3

 

[WDWKOOK]

Steven Ford
Orlando Sentinel
11:48 p.m. EST, December 3, 2010
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-...ly-tron-legacy-reviews-120310,0,4662627.story



Yes, Light Cycle fans, we know that ‘Tron: Legacy’ won’t hit the big screens for the general public until Dec. 17, but there already have been some advance screenings for media members and pop-culture bloggers.

So what are the advance-screening posts saying about Disney’s sequel to its 1982 flick?

Here are a few quick hits:

The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy says it’s surprising that some aspects of the new film are “rather cool,” given that the original “Tron” was “an awfully lame movie.”

McCarthy goes on to write that the architecture, interior design and racing techniques in the new film are noteworthy, yet he compares the movie’s “lustful embrace of high technology” to that which was seen in the 2008 release “Speed Racer.”

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But at HitFix, Drew McWeeny is more scathing in his take on the new Disney film, calling it a “visual marvel” but a film that suffers from an awful script and the professional failure of first-time feature director Joseph Kosinski.

“ ‘TRON’ really doesn't work,” he writes. “ It's poorly staged, poorly paced, and never quite brings all its ideas together. It is a visual marvel, but inert.”

A different take comes from Moviefone’s film blog “Cinematical,” where Todd Gilchrist writes about how he liked the film after his first viewing, but it was his subsequent viewing that helped convince him why he enjoyed it so. It’s filled with a visual splendor, he writes, but viewing its “deceptive denseness” reveals an attempt to “create a completely new reality, and then make us believe in it.”

Gilchrist also has praise for the storyline, too: “Whether it was the rumored participation of Pixar executives or the ongoing design of the screenwriters, however, the emphasis on the relationship between fathers and sons is what makes the film resonate, not its technical trickery.”

At /Film, there’s a compelling post that really isn’t a review of “Tron Legacy,” but an informative post that uses the film to discuss how movies are made today. David Chen’s crisp writing and sharp insights into today’s movie-making industry is a great read, regardless of how you might feel about the release of “Tron: Legacy.”

According to Chen, if “Tron: Legacy” isn’t a smash hit for Disney (and there are some suggestions that it might not be, according to the post), then there are plenty of lessons that film studios could embrace, and Chen goes through them point by confounding point.

For example, Chen writes, most films made in Hollywood today are for kids and for selling things to them and their parents:

“This trend will likely get worse until it gets better. Movies these days are primarily made for kids and with an eye towards other revenue streams like merchandising, international movie rights, or Disneyland rides. A high-profile failure like TRON: Legacy won’t fix things, but may help slowly alter this trajectory.”

These are just a few of what most likely will be a flood of observations to come before and after the film’s release. And, before "Tron: Legacy" hits the big screen, its Daft Punk soundtrack will drop first and will, undoubtedly, attract similar Web interest from music critics and casual bloggers alike, too.

 

[TisBit]

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12281839

Well, it looks like they were wrong again, preliminary numbers are closer to the 50 million mark....currently projected at about 44 million, final numbers obviously out tomorrow...but a lot higher than their 35 million projection.

Now, it will be what staying power it has and as I said in my previous post, it will be interesting to see how Disney plans re releasing the original remastered one that they have been delaying. I am sure it will most likely be bundled together with "Legacy" in order to boost its DVD/Blu Ray sales.

 

[soontobehoyt]

Glad this is doing better than expected, hope it keeps up. Could be a good source for new attractions at the Parks.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Glad this is doing better than expected, hope it keeps up. Could be a good source for new attractions at the Parks.

88 million in 10 days....

which means it has no chance of hitting its budget (170 million...almost 30 mil for Olivia Wilde's eyeshadow alone) mark domestically...

It might be a modest gainer based on international gross....but nothing spectactular.

Will probably end in the 120-140 million dollar range domestically...which is not really much these days.

Tangled has gotten really good reviews and crowd buzz...but its budget was so huge (a semi-ridiculous 260 million) that they aren't gonna get above water either. They missed the mark with tangled...it should have been a May summer release...and they could have bumped Cars to either later in the summer or the fall. Pixar movies will make 250+ no matter when you release them now...while the fairy tale could have greatly benefited from a summer movie crowd.

the problem with disney movies these days....unless they have a man in a bat suit or a boy wizzard in it...there isn't enough popular appeal across all demographics to make them solid successes. Except Pixar...all hail the digital juggernaught.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Glad this is doing better than expected, hope it keeps up. Could be a good source for new attractions at the Parks.

it was down 54.5% in its second week....and the opening 50 million is really not much when people are paying 12+ dollars a ticket.

Next weekend it will fall at least another 30-40% ...which means it will all but be gone by mid to late january.

Movies are completely predictable when it comes to gross with the internet at our disposal...only only rarely does a movie have true staying power

Tron doesn't appear to have it...even if it is a good movie.

That's the way the game goes

 

[Killer Fish]

I dunno still seems to be having good mid week totals...another 6 Million on Monday...

I see it at about 109 million or so before this weekend and then another 10 million after the weekend...

Worldwide already at $159 and has not hit full market saturation there...plus still a good amount to be made on Blu-ray/DVD sales...

This does not seem to be a bomb.

 

[Disco]

I dunno still seems to be having good mid week totals...another 6 Million on Monday...

I see it at about 109 million or so before this weekend and then another 10 million after the weekend...

Worldwide already at $159 and has not hit full market saturation there...plus still a good amount to be made on Blu-ray/DVD sales...

This does not seem to be a bomb.

Traffic over the holidays stretches things out. I think Disney will do well with this when all is said in done. I'm thinking a couple hundred million in the pocket. Might make up for Tangled, LOL.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I dunno still seems to be having good mid week totals...another 6 Million on Monday...

I see it at about 109 million or so before this weekend and then another 10 million after the weekend...

Worldwide already at $159 and has not hit full market saturation there...plus still a good amount to be made on Blu-ray/DVD sales...

This does not seem to be a bomb.

I don't see it as a "bomb" either...but i also don't see it going down as a strong success...

and disney only cares about selling junk and secondary material off it...so that won't happen and they'll see it as an out and out disaster...

such is the way it was never meant to be but is

 

[Killer Fish]

I think it is still way too early too call.

Personal opinion.

 

[rodkenrich]

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