Tron Ares
A Visual Triumph Undone by Narrative Drift
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$91 – 136MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
2.17% – 2.66%
Hidden potential
$544– 602MM
Oct 2025. Tron: Ares, Joachim Rønning’s neon-drenched sequel, reboots the franchise with a militarized AI at its centre and a world teetering between digital transcendence and corporate exploitation. At its core is a collision of agendas from a ruthless bid to weaponize AI to an idealistic vision of salvation and a sentient program caught between obedience and sacrifice.
Rønning’s kinetic visual and Nine Inch Nails’ thunderous score are clearly hypnotic. But beneath the sensory blitz lies a narrative imbalance characterized by inconsistent and shallow quests. The result is a film ambitious in theme yet compromised in payoff.
1. The invisible plot structure of Tron Ares
1A. Script of Tron Ares borrows 86% of its events from 6 Universal Quests
The desire to survive a threat drives Julian’s quest of Preservation. The quest borrows events from the tale of Kans in Hindu mythology. Kans attempts to eliminate a child to preserve power and pre-empt collapse. Similarly, Julian chases the Permanence Code to salvage Dillinger Systems, facing threat from investors
Eve’s journey draws from multiple quests! The desire for fairness & justice drives her primary quest of Idealism. The quest mirrors the tale of Krishn from Hindu mythology. Both Krishn & Eve escape from captivity and survive subsequent assassination attempts. The initial part of her journey mirrors events from the mythological tales of David and Noah.
Similarly, Ares’ journey is made up of two universal quests. Similar to Prometheus, Ares rebels against unscrupulous forces and then mirrors Gilgamesh’s quest to find the “elixir of life”, i.e. Permanence Code.
The desire to punish offenders drives Athena’s quest of Vengeance. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan’s attempts to take over his cousins’ kingdom is similar to Athena trying to abduct Eve.
Mythosis plot structure
661,516
Tales interweaved
Kans, Prometheus, Duryodhan & Krishn
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. Potential of Tron Ares' plot structure: $91 – 136MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code. The Code is a set of principles for creating compelling stories. These storytelling principles reveal the strength of a story’s plot structure.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Tron Ares
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Tron Ares uses the universal quests of Idealism, Vengeance & Preservation.
- In Blockbusters, every character mirrors ONLY ONE universal quest. Julian mirrors the universal quest of Preservation whereas Athena mirrors Vengeance. However, both Eve and Ares mirror multiple quests.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Julian borrows 33% events from the quest of Preservation. Ares and Eve borrow 21% and 16% from the two quests of Idealism. Athena borrows 12% events from Vengeance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Tron Ares' quest interweaving score of 0.83 is above par.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Tron Ares
Tron Ares demonstrates strong quest density and interweaving.
However, it falters in character-to-quest fidelity and complexity thresholds.
The architecture is ambitious but the execution blurs character clarity and reduces emotional payoff. Especially, since Eve and Ares lack distinct quest ownership.
The Script Score measures the potency of a plot structure. Higher its adherence to the principles of Mythosis Code, greater is the potency. The Script Score helps estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.08
Audience appeal
2.17% – 2.66%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. Ideal plot structure of Tron Ares
We have identified 32 mythological tales. These are the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
32 mythological tales strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential. First, we map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale. This exercise reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Second, identify missing events to plug the gaps. Plugging gaps deepens the character quest. Third, use missing events to strengthen the interweaving between various quests.
3A. Gaps in the current plot structure
Plot Thinness: Three of the four main characters aren’t adequately developed, adversely impacting the plot structure
Inconsistent Characters: Quest overlap creates character ambiguity, blurring emotional clarity and narrative intent.
Underdeveloped Stakes: Shallow, ambiguous characters weaken the stakes, threats feel abstract rather than urgent
Fractured Plot: These issues compound into breaks in narrative flow, disrupting momentum.
3B. Unlocking the hidden potential
Tron: Ares reveals its untapped brilliance when reframed through Mythosis Plot Structure 661,516. It’s a layered blueprint that interweaves the two universal quests of Idealism with Preservation and Vengeance.
- Julian channels Kans’ ruthless drive to preserve Dillinger Systems at any cost.
- Eve single-mindedly mirrors Krishn’s arc of escaping, surviving the threat and then striking back.
- Even Ares embodies only Prometheus – principled, courageous and willing to sacrifice for the greater good.
- Athena reflects Duryodhan’s vindictiveness. Bound by ambition, unbound by ethics.
This alignment elevates the film from shallow character arcs to a cohesive quest-driven narrative. By restoring missing events from these archetypal tales, the structure deepens motivations, amplifies emotional stakes and creates a compelling narrative.
With the incorporation of universal human behavior, Tron: Ares could unlock richer audience engagement and drive lifetime domestic box office revenues of $544–602MM.
Access Mythosis Plot structure 661,516 – the unique blockbuster blueprint of Tron Ares
Tags: Duryodhan, Vengeance, Kans, Preservation, Prometheus, Idealism, Krishn, Joachim Rønning, Jesse Wigutow, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2025