Can’t a movie just be cool anymore and make bank?! Well, apparently not, since the recent Tron: Ares is very cool, but flopped BIG TIME at the box office. And, this really pisses me off since Tron: Ares should have been a major hit!
However, this is nothing new, as there have been several cool movies that I’ve loved, only to learn that nobody else turned out to see them. And, keep in mind. Just because I think a movie’s cool doesn’t necessarily mean I think it’s “good.” As my colleague, Eric Eisenberg, said perfectly in his review of Tron: Ares, the movie is a “radically empty spectacle…but at least it’s very pretty.”
And, doggonit, shouldn’t that be enough? So, here’s why I’m pissed off that Tron: Ares (and five other movies) weren’t bigger hits at the box office.
Tron: Ares (2025)
The most recent box office failure, Tron: Ares is one of the most visually stunning movies you’ll likely see. Its soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails is also so pulse pounding that it may even rival Daft Punk’s from Tron: Legacy.
But, what about the plot? Well…it’s fine. Unlike the other two Tron movies where the films take place in a game, this one takes place in reality as an AI soldier named Ares (Jared Leto) becomes a self-aware good guy. There’s more to the story, but a lot of it feels overly complicated. Plus, most of us just came to see cool light cycle sequences.
And, that’s what we get! To be honest, I’ve actually never been a fan of the Tron series since I found both the original and Tron: Legacy to be boring. But, this film puts emphasis on the sights and sounds, which creates a really engaging film.
There’s even a tease for a sequel, but Tron: Ares did so poorly that this might spell the end for the franchise for good in theaters. This sucks since a series like Tron NEEDS to be seen on a big screen.
Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)
Quite possibly the coolest Tom Cruise movie ever, Edge of Tomorrow truly had to be seen on a big screen to get the complete experience.
Based on the Japanese light novel, All You Need Is Kill, I’ve heard some people say that the title, Edge of Tomorrow, might have been why people didn’t turn out to see it (which might be the reason why it was later renamed Live. Die. Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow on Blu-Ray).
Whatever the reason it didn’t do well, it’s not for quality’s sake, since unlike Tron: Ares, which has a mediocre narrative, Edge of Tomorrow has an amazing story. In fact, it’s one of the few original movies I can remember being wowed by in theaters.
Essentially, the movie is a roguelike in movie form. What I mean is, similar to some roguelike video games, like Hades, Tom Cruise keeps dying, but with each time he comes back to life, he gains more experience, which he brings to the enemy aliens head-on. It’s a killer movie, and it should have been huge! So, why wasn’t it then? Wah!
Dredd (2012)
Dredd is my favorite comic book movie of all time. I mean, even from the first few minutes, I knew it was going to be a huge departure from the first Judge Dredd movie (which I still unabashedly like).
And, a huge departure it was, as it’s so much cooler than the ‘90s film. Karl Urban never takes off his helmet, the action is enthralling, and it almost entirely takes place in one location, that being the drug-invested tenement of Peach Trees.
Throughout its crisp 95-minute run time, Karl Urban’s Dredd goes to war with Lena Headey’s terrifying Ma-Ma, who is one of the best female villains of all time.
Yet, the movie didn’t do well at the box office. Hell, even though it developed a sort of cult following once it came home to physical media and streaming services, it still isn’t as big as it should be, which is a crying shame!
John Carter (2012)
Does Disney make bad sci-fi movies? Well, while I wouldn’t necessarily put any of their sci-fi flicks on the list of the best sci-fi movies of all time, I will say that I’ve liked a great deal of them, even though most of them have flopped. I enjoyed Lightyear, I adored Strange World, and like I already mentioned, I had a good time with Tron: Ares.
Do you want to know another Disney sci-fi movie that I really liked? John Carter. Yes, the box office mega flop. Adapted from the first book in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Carter is a ridiculous movie about red Martians and green Martians, but it’s got really cool action sequences, and it’s a fun movie.
The story concerns a Civil War captain named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) who actually gets tangled in another Civil War, but this one on the planet Mars (Or Barsoom). The rest of the story is your typical adventuring, not-too-violent movie that opened up a whole world to theater-goers, but wouldn’t get to see its full story as this movie’s failure squashed any chances of a sequel.
Which is too bad! In a world where we got five Pirates of the Caribbean movies (with a sixth one on the way), it really stinks that we only got one John Carter. It had such series potential!
The Marvels (2023)
When I heard that The Marvels was a box office bomb, I got viscerally upset at the time. How can a movie that was leagues better than its predecessor, if you ask me (Come on. Captain Marvel was just okay), still not manage to get its feet off the ground at the box office? What gives?!
Well, blame “superhero fatigue,” the fact that you needed to watch two Disney+ shows (WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel) to get the complete picture, or anything else, but The Marvels did miserably at the box office, which really bugs me, since The Marvels is really cool.
Featuring three main characters – Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), hence the title – our heroes have their powers entangled, which creates some interesting scenarios amongst them. It also means that they all have to work together, so this film kind of feels like a cosmic buddy comedy/action movie at times.
The villain, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), is also really fascinating and a big step up from the Supreme Intelligence from the first Captain Marvel. This movie had everything going for it, and it still didn’t even break even. Now that’s criminal.
The Flash (2023)
I might sound like a hypocrite for this one since I kind of celebrated when the Snyderverse came to an end, but I don’t necessarily think The Flash was its fault. The writing had been on the wall long before it came out.
Even though I’m kind of sick of multiversal stories at this point, I think The Flash takes an interesting twist. Because after The Flash tries to go back in the past to fix the present, he messes everything up, creating a world where General Zod didn’t die.
Here’s the kicker: we also get the best Batman in Michael Keaton in this multiversal mix-up, as well as Supergirl (Sasha Calle)
All of this is to say that The Flash had a lot going for it, but it didn’t do well, and it felt like the death knell of the Snyderverse, which is a shame. It was pretty cool.
So, what flops are you upset about? I’d love to hear your thoughts!