Another famous sci-fi franchise is back – Tron: Ares will open in cinemas this Friday, becoming the third movie in the Tron universe.
The original Tron premiered in 1982, telling the story of Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer and video game developer trapped in a virtual reality. The film, directed by Steven Lisberger and starring Jeff Bridges, went down in history as one of the first features that used extensive CGI. Despite mixed reviews, Tron has become a cult classic. Therefore, it’s astonishing that the sequel wasn’t made until almost three decades later.
2010’s Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski, brought back Jeff Bridges as Flynn, but this time the story centred on a programmer’s son, Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund. Trying to find his long-lost father, Sam gets transported to a virtual reality himself.
Fifteen years later, there’s another chapter of the sci-fi saga. Tron: Ares covers a story that is somewhat different from the previous films. This time, it isn’t humans who immerse themselves in virtual reality – now it’s an advanced program that will visit the human world.
The film features Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges, among others. The best way to find out how the third Tron movie turned out is to watch it at the cinema. However, if you want to know already when the film will be released on home media, continue reading this article.
Here’s the trailer for the film:
How to watch Tron: Ares now
The sequel to Tron and Tron: Legacy will premiere in worldwide cinemas on Friday, 10 October 2025.
In the UK, you can book tickets for the film on Odeon, Vue, Showcase, The Everyman and Picturehouse websites.
US-based fans can secure their seats on AMC Theatres, Fandango, Atom Tickets and Cinemark.
When could Tron: Ares be released on VOD?
Disney hasn’t revealed when the new Tron movie will appear on digital. However, the most successful films from the studio usually appear on VOD platforms between 60 and 67 days after they are released in cinemas.
Thunderbolts*, Lilo & Stitch and The Fantastic Four: First Steps became available for purchase and rental 60 days after their cinematic debut, while Moana 2 hit VOD after 62 days. Of course, those movies were smash hits – Snow White, one of Disney’s biggest flops this year, hit VOD after just 46 days.
If Tron: Ares conquers the box office, it may arrive on digital between Tuesday, 9 December 2025 and 16 December 2025. However, if the movie bombs, we expect it to premiere on VOD earlier, around the end of November.
Please note that these dates are estimates – we’ll update this article as soon as Disney confirms the VOD release date for the movie.
Disney
When could Tron: Ares be released on DVD/Blu-ray?
Physical copies of Disney films usually appear quickly after dropping on digital. The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released just 21 days after its VOD debut. It took 28 days for Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* and 35 days for Lilo & Stitch to premiere on DVD and Blu-ray.
Therefore, if our VOD estimations are correct, we expect copies of Tron: Ares to appear in the US between Tuesday, 30 December 2025, and Tuesday, 20 January 2026. However, Disney may release it earlier in December, as DVDs and Blu-rays often make great Christmas gifts.
Physical copies of Tron: Ares will likely appear in British stores a few days after the US release.
When could Tron: Ares be released on streaming services?
As this is a Disney film, it will debut on Disney+ exclusively, rather than rivals such as Netflix.
Lilo & Stitch hit Disney+ 8 days after physical copies arrived in the stores. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* became available for streaming 15 days and 29 days after the DVD and Blu-ray release, respectively.
Based on our estimations above, we expect Tron: Ares to drop on Disney+ between Wednesday, 7 January 2025 and Wednesday, 18 February 2025.
However, it is worth noting that sometimes Disney films are available for streaming before their release on DVD and Blu-ray. That was the case with Mufasa: The Lion King and Moana 2, which arrived on Disney+ 36 days and 43 days after hitting VOD. It’s possible that this could also be the case for the third Tron film, but we won’t know for certain until the next few months.
