Tron: Ares recently hit the theaters, featuring Nine Inch Nails’ music, and some fans are expressing disappointment that Daft Punk, the legendary French electronic duo responsible for the unforgettable soundtrack to Tron: Legacy (2010) were not involved, and instead Nine Inch Nails produced music for the movie.
Fan frustrated over Daft Punk’s absence in Tron movie
In the comment section of a YouTube video, one fan wrote, “Real upset they couldn’t get a producer such as Daft Punk for the new movie. Daft Punk themselves really, in my opinion, helped popularize about 60% of this movie. The sound was incredible.”
This comment really shows the connection many viewers still feel between Daft Punk’s music and the Tron universe. The duo’s Tron: Legacy soundtrack was iconic. Mixing orchestral strings with electronic beats, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo created a sound that mirrored the neon world of the Grid perfectly. Tracks like “Derezzed,” “End of Line,” and “The Game Has Changed” became instant classics.
The conversation between fans also highlighted differing opinions about the new film’s musical direction, with NIN facing a backlash from some fans after Tron bombed commercially. When another commenter noted that “Nine Inch Nails isn’t a metal rock band,” the original fan clarified, “Never said I disliked Nine Inch Nails nor underestimated them. Been following them for years. It’s the idea of a metal/rock band producing a soundtrack for a movie themed in an electronic world that makes me upset about the choice of production.”
While Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are widely respected for their memorable scores, Daft Punk’s contribution to Tron: Legacy remains beloved by fans.
Even over a decade later, Daft Punk’s absence from is felt deeply by fans who see their sound as inseparable from the modern Tron identity.
Tron Ares bombs at box office
Disney’s “Tron: Ares” grossed a disappointing $33.5 million at the domestic box office, notching the top spot for the weekend. Unfortunately, Tron ‘came back haunted’ commercially.
The third film in the “Tron” franchise fell short of analysts’ expectations of a more than $40 million opening. The sci-fi adventure film reportedly had a budget of about $180 million.
“Let’s give ‘Tron’ credit for being one of very few long-running franchises that can grab a No. 1 debut over 40 years after the first film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore.
While it outperformed the tepid debut of the first “Tron,” which in 1982 earned $16.7 million, adjusted for inflation, “Tron: Ares” fell well short of the opening weekend success of “Tron: Legacy” ($65 million, adjusted for inflation) in 2010. It looks like Tron will be a trilogy due to Ares’ underperformance.
