Disney did not make quite the profit they envisioned on Tron: Legacy but today Deadline report that a third film in the series is going forward thanks to a near-$400 million gross not counting DVD/Blu-ray sales. This is not huge news as we expected an announcement to be made earlier from the studios on the third film in the franchise. One of Tron: Legacy's producers, Sean Bailey is now Disney’s head of production. Hit the jump for the details.
Deadline states: "Tron: Legacy's performance certainly gives the studio reason to think it has poured the foundation for a franchise, Disney has begun work on a sequel, which [director Joseph] Kosinski is constructing with original writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Maybe because of Tron: Legacy's pricey launch and heightened expectations, I had the impression that the film had been a bit underwhelming, despite a $44 million opening weekend. But looks are deceiving.... Its performance certainly compares well to other 2D films that launched franchises. Tron: Legacy out-grossed the Chris Nolan-directed Batman Begins ($373 million) and the Abrams-directed Star Trek ($386 million), both of which were based on brands far more famous than the long-forgotten 1982 original Tron. For that matter, Tron: Legacy out-grossed The Bourne Identity ($214 million) and its sequel The Bourne Supremacy ($288 million). It also bested X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($373 million), National Treasure ($347 million) and The Fast and the Furious ($207 million). It out-grossed all the films in that franchise. Beyond that, the film fed other Disney divisions. The Tron: Legacy soundtrack sold 615,000 copies worldwide, and the movie spawned ElecTRONica, a featured attraction at Disney’s California Adventure theme park. A Tron: Legacy rollercoaster for the new Shanghai theme park is under discussion."
Deadline states: "Tron: Legacy's performance certainly gives the studio reason to think it has poured the foundation for a franchise, Disney has begun work on a sequel, which [director Joseph] Kosinski is constructing with original writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Maybe because of Tron: Legacy's pricey launch and heightened expectations, I had the impression that the film had been a bit underwhelming, despite a $44 million opening weekend. But looks are deceiving.... Its performance certainly compares well to other 2D films that launched franchises. Tron: Legacy out-grossed the Chris Nolan-directed Batman Begins ($373 million) and the Abrams-directed Star Trek ($386 million), both of which were based on brands far more famous than the long-forgotten 1982 original Tron. For that matter, Tron: Legacy out-grossed The Bourne Identity ($214 million) and its sequel The Bourne Supremacy ($288 million). It also bested X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($373 million), National Treasure ($347 million) and The Fast and the Furious ($207 million). It out-grossed all the films in that franchise. Beyond that, the film fed other Disney divisions. The Tron: Legacy soundtrack sold 615,000 copies worldwide, and the movie spawned ElecTRONica, a featured attraction at Disney’s California Adventure theme park. A Tron: Legacy rollercoaster for the new Shanghai theme park is under discussion."
