Tron: Ares' $33m opening weekend may have threatened the likelihood of a sequel, a new report claims

Given its post-credits scene, it's clear Disney has serious plans to follow up Tron: Ares with a sequel. A continuation may no longer be on the cards, though, thanks to the sci-fi's disappointing opening weekend at the box office, a new report has suggested.

The new movie, which cost $180 million to make and stars Jared Leto as the titular AI program, pulled in just $33 million in the US during its first few days in theaters, falling short of its $40-50m projections. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, it took an additional $27 million overseas, culminating in a global start of $60.2m. For comparison, Tron: Legacy, its predecessor, earned $44m domestically upon its release in December 2010.

Also featuring the likes of Jodie-Turner Smith, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges, Tron: Ares follows Ares as he gains sentience and disobeys his ambitious "owner" Julian Dillinger. The latter dreams of auctioning Ares and his fellow digital soldiers off as weapons to the highest bidders, but when Ares meets Dillinger's industry rival, ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee), and discovers a way to make himself more human, he takes it upon himself to protect Eve and thwart his master's plans.

Joachim Rønning directs. It currently holds a middling 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, with GamesRadar+ having given it 2.5 stars out of a possible five in our own review.

A couple of unnamed sources in THR's write-up claim casting let the film down, while some suggest it was only ever going to pull in diehard fans. Others argue that the issue was its lackluster script. "You could have had Ryan Gosling, it wasn't going to work," said one industry professional, while another rebutted: "No one asked for this reboot. If you say, Tron: Ares is good, we just needed a different actor,' you're deluding yourself."

Tron: Ares is in cinemas now. For more, check out our chats with Evan Peters and Greta Lee. Or, if sci-fi isn't your thing, have a peek at our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.