As Tron: Ares falters at the box office, perhaps it is time Disney looks at some other sci-fi movies in its catalog to replace the Tron franchise. The latest Tron movie, which debuted in theaters on Friday, October 10, has not fared well at the ticket window. The Jared Leto-led sci-fi blockbuster opened to a dismal $33.4 million at the domestic box office, a mere one-fifth of the opening of 2010's Tron: Legacy. The movie has not done much better critically, sitting at a dismal 53% on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing.
The third Tron film capped off this lackluster start with a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, in which sources told the outlet that Disney was looking at retiring the franchise entirely.
Ares marks the second attempt at reviving the cult-classic sci-fi franchise following Legacy more than 15 years ago. While the 2010 legacy sequel (pun totally intended) scored a franchise low of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, it still performed well at the box office, earning a solid $400 million globally.
One thing has become clear after both Tron sequels have faltered upon release: it may be time for Disney to look elsewhere to fill its sci-fi blockbuster void. Luckily, the studio has plenty of exciting names under its umbrella (outside of the MCU and Star Wars) that it could dip its toes back in, if it so chose.
Tron: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning, brings the digital world into the physical one, as a rogue program (played by Leto) breaks free of his cyberspace confines and brings The Grid into reality. Leto leads the new movie along with Greta Lee, Cameron Monaghan, and Evan Peters.
7 Sci-Fi Franchises Disney Should Replace Tron With
Big Hero 6
Disney may be sitting on a gold mine with Big Hero 6. The 2014 film, loosely based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, tells the story of Hiro Hamada and his inflatable super-powered robot Baymax.
Although based on a Marvel property, Big Hero 6 is not part of the interconnected MCU. Instead, it is an original superhero story told in a colorful and exciting world. Its lovable characters, epic story twists, and epic action make Big Hero 6 one of the most beloved animated Disney adventures of the modern era.
Despite all of this, a big-screen sequel has never been officially announced. Disney obviously sees potential in the brand, having released several smaller animated spin-off TV projects over the years and rebranding a part of its California Adventure park in Anaheim, California, to be based on the film's San Fransokyo. However, a second film has evaded audiences.
Big Hero 6 feels like an untapped resource just waiting to be capitalized upon, if/when Disney wants to jump back into its comic book world.
Witch Mountain
This might be a deep cut for some fans, but the Witch Mountain franchise is one of Disney's oldest. The House of Mouse has never been afraid to bring something out of the vault and dust it off years down the line, so why not do it with Witch Mountain?
The original Witch Mountain film, Escape to Witch Mountain, was released all the way back in 1975, recounting the journey of a set of teenage twins who secretly possess psychic powers as they are pursued by the U.S. government. This initial run of Witch Mountain movies spawned two sequels, as well as a pair of reboot attempts.
The last fans saw the series on-screen came in 2009, when a Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson-led revival of the franchise came to theaters. That film never got a follow-up, and the franchise has been lost to time.
In 2019, it was revealed that Bryce Dallas Howard was set to star in a new Disney+ Witch Mountain series; however, that project never came to fruition. So, why not give it another shot, giving it the Tron treatment, and bringing it back for modern audiences?
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has the honor of being one of Disney's longest-standing sci-fi franchises. The original 20,000 Leagues movie, adapted from Jules Verne's classic ocean-faring novel of the same name, was released in 1954. It followed a group of adventurers as they hopped aboard the Nautilus to head to the depths of the seas.
Disney revived the franchise (in a sense) in the 70s, telling a space-based version of the story, titled The Black Hole, but since then, things have been relatively silent on the 20,000 Leagues franchise front. In fact, Disney has done little to acknowledge the IP in any meaningful way over the years, with nothing more than a few Easter eggs at Disney Parks for fans to grab onto.
A Disney+ project based on the original movie was in development during the streamer's early years, but, like Witch Mountain, it was cut from the cutting room floor in the years since.
Disney could make a statement with a new 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie (whether it be a remake, sequel, or reboot), honoring one of the films that helped the studio achieve its current status.
Atlantis
2000s stand up! It's Atlantis time. At the turn of the century, Walt Disney Animation aimed to do what it had never done before: release a full-fledged action-adventure film. What the studio settled on was what would become Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
The 2001 film told the story of Milo Tatch, a linguist and cartographer who is recruited on an epic adventure to discover the lost civilization of Atlantis. It would spawn a direct-to-video sequel in 2003, but since then, Atlantis has been all but wiped from Disney's record.
There is an era of Disney fans that hold Atlantis (along with other movies like Treasure Planet and Lilo & Stitch), and Disney should capitalize on that nostalgia.
Now, what a new Atlantis film would look like remains unclear. Walt Disney's 2D animation studio has long been shuttered, meaning a new movie in the ocean-faring franchise would either have to adopt a 3D animation style or be a live-action remake.
Treasure Planet
If we want to talk forgotten Disney franchises, few have been wiped from the record, quite like Treasure Planet. The animated sci-fi adaptation of the classic Treasure Island novel was released in 2002 as the second attempt to delve into a more adventure-focused story in a Disney animated film.
Outside of its single theatrical outing, Treasure Planet has largely been forgotten to time. A Treasure Planet 2 was once planned, with Spider-Man star Willem Dafoe reportedly set to play a role in it. However, it was ultimately cancelled after the first movie faltered at the box office.
Those who love Treasure Planet, love it. The movie has been dubbed a cult classic among Disney fans, with many wondering if Disney will ever acknowledge the space pirate again.
With the advances in modern movie-making technology, some have pondered whether Treasure Planet could benefit from the live-action remake treatment that some of the studio's other movies have received lately.
Tomorrowland
In 2015, Disney released an original sci-fi film based on one of its most beloved Disney Parks lands, Tomorrowland.
The George Clooney-led epic centered on a young girl transported to a mysterious futuristic city, where she is recruited by a renowned scientist and visitor in his own right, played by Clooney.
While hotly anticipated by fans at the time, Tomorrowland landed with a dim thud, earning a meager $209 million worldwide. This came despite a crack team of creatives being behind the project. The movie was written by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and directed by Brad Bird, known for The Incredibles.
Just because the first movie was seen as a flop does not make it ineligible for revisiting. Tomorrowland had some great ideas, a cool setting, and some real A-list talent behind it. So, reviving the franchise for another bite at the apple could be worth a shot.
The Rocketeer
This might be the only title on this list with a new movie technically still in development (although how active that development is remains to be seen). The Rocketeer was originally released in 1991, telling an epic sci-fi story centered on a turn-of-the-century superhero who wears a rocket pack on his back.
Disney originally announced a reboot of the original Rocketeer film in 2012. It would get several updates over the years, including potential plot details centering on a new hero six years after the events of the first movie, as a young black woman took on the Rocketeer name.
Devotion director J.D. Dillard was reportedly attached to helm the project in 2020; however, he stepped away in 2022, marking the last time fans heard about the title.
This unique 1930s-set superhero adventure could be just what Disney needs. It could fill the more mature sci-fi void left behind by Tron, while also potentially capitalizing on the general popularity of superhero movies that was not nearly as prevalent when the first film was released.
