Jared Leto's Tron sequel, Tron: Ares footage description from D23, and they make it seem like a worthwhile return to the digital world. As promising as Ares sounds, however, it will have one major issue to resolve to become a true success.

There are already a few problems that Tron: Ares faces. The last Tron movie, Legacy, was far from a smash-hit. It had relatively low box office earnings - it made $400 million (via Box Office Mojo) against a budget of $170 million, which was barely enough to turn a profit - it didn't do well with critics, and it caused the franchise to stall for nearly 15 years. The lackluster performance of Legacy is hardly the biggest hurdle to Ares' success, though, as there's one major facet of the Tron franchise that will be very hard to replicate.

Both Tron Movies Pushed The Boundaries Of Moviemaking Technology

Tron Introduced CGI To Mainstream Movies, While Legacy Included De-Aging Tech

Tron, as a franchise, has always been about pushing the boundaries of technology both within its universe and in the real world. Both Tron and Tron: Legacy took that to heart, and featured massive leaps forward in moviemaking technology. Tron was the first major film to feature computer-generated imagery, which quite literally changed the way movies are made forever. Though it didn't have the same impact on the film industry, Tron: Legacy also introduced its own innovations, such as the de-aging technology used on Jeff Bridges and the light suits worn throughout the film, which were powered by practical batteries.

The problem that Tron: Ares faces is whether it will be able to similarly push the boundaries of moviemaking technology again. In many ways, it seems like the industry has reached a bit of a plateau. Even Avatar: The Way of Water, whose behind-the-scenes details and procedures were incredibly intensive to maximize its realism, wasn't nearly as groundbreaking as the original Avatar from 2009. The Way of Water was visually stunning, but it wasn't a true innovation, just a better version of technology that has already been seen. Tron: Ares may not be able to succeed where Avatar failed.

Tron: Ares Must Do Something Excitingly Different To Stand Out From Tron & Legacy

Tron: Ares Needs To Find A Way To Improve Its Technology As Its Predecessors Did

If Tron: Ares is going to live up to the legacy of Tron and Tron: Legacy, it will have to find a way to stand out on its own. Ares needs to find some new innovation, technology, or style that will make it significantly different from the first two films in the franchise and continue the series' streak of breaking new moviemaking ground. If it doesn't, Ares won't fulfill Tron's long-time commitment to moving technology forward, and it will be just another science fiction movie that talks about advancing technology without actually doing it.

If it doesn't, Ares won't fulfill Tron's long-time commitment to moving technology forward, and it will be just another science fiction movie that talks about advancing technology without actually doing it.

Luckily, there are some clues that Tron: Ares is committed to being the most technologically advanced chapter in the franchise. The director of Ares, Joachim Rønning, confirmed that Tron: Ares had wrapped filming in May, and he also noted that he believed "we pushed the filmmaking limits on this movie." It's not clear how Rønning "pushed the filmmaking limits," but his comments are a hopeful sign that Tron: Ares will be just as innovative as its predecessors.

Source: Box Office Mojo