Disney’s TRON: Legacy had an impact on blockbuster movies throughout the 2010s, even though it wasn't as big of a success. TRON: Legacy was the belated sequel to the 1982 cult classic Tron, which also wasn't a huge box office success, but was notable for being one of the first films to combine computer effects, animation, and live action on a large scale. The potential of what modern technology could do for such a concept and the faithful following of the original was enough to inspire Disney to put $170 million into the sequel for a Christmas 2010 release.

TRON: Legacy ended up making $400 million at the worldwide box office, and while that more than doubled its production budget, it wasn't enough to convince Disney to move forward with TRON 3. The entire landscape was changing at that time in Hollywood and Disney - in addition to revamping its leadership - was changing directions from blockbusters like TRON: Legacy, John Carter, and The Lone Ranger to live-action remakes and superhero films through Marvel. Despite that, TRON: Legacy still managed to influence blockbuster movies in a variety of ways.

Related: Tron 3 Updates: Why Disney's Taking So Long To Make A Sequel

A big push for TRON: Legacy's story was that it brought back Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn from the original film, and it had Sam Flynn (Garret Hedlund) searching for his missing father, which ultimately takes him into the world of The Grid. While TRON: Legacy certainly didn’t create the concept of a legacy sequel, it set a modern precedent for them. In the years following its release, the likes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mary Poppins Returns, Halloween, Creed, and Blade Runner 2049 all released; two of those coming from Disney. What the volume of legacy sequels across the 2010s demonstrates is an influx in the return of dormant franchises, a trend which TRON: Legacy arguably kicked off.

Olivia Wilde in TRON: Legacy

But perhaps an even bigger influence is TRON: Legacy's use of de-aging technology. The main antagonist of TRON: Legacy is CLU, a program turned callous by the search for perfection, who also looks like a young Jeff Bridges. While glimpses of de-aging had previously been seen in the likes of X-Men: The Last Stand, the use of the technology is on a much grander scale in TRON: Legacy. While the film remains a marvel of visual effects and production design, the element that has aged the worst is CLU, because of how he looks compared to more recent examples of de-aging. CLU ran so others could walk, as many movies across the 2010s used de-aging to various extents; Disney is a prime user of this, which can be seen in movies throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was even recently seen with The Irishman and will undoubtedly be used even more in the future.

Unfortunately, though it wasn't as profitable, the movie may have given some studios encouragement to pursue more revivals. TRON: Legacy is the first in a long line of underperforming blockbusters that became franchise non-starters. The cult appeal of a nearly 30-year-old movie meant that box office glory was by no means a guarantee. Yet, Hollywood continued to follow in its path by greenlighting similarly sequels. Some of the big budget gambles paid off; both Jurassic World and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle successfully resurrected their franchises, but the likes of John Carter, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Blade Runner 2049 disappointed at the box-office. TRON: Legacy may not have set the box office alight, but the wake of its influence can most certainly be tracked across some of the biggest films of the decade that followed it.

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