Delisted Tron: Legacy SteelBooks Flip for Double their MSRP

Disney announced the 4K SteelBook releases back in early September, with a September 16 street date. This was the first time either film hit 4K format, and the timing made sense with Tron: Ares scheduled for October 10. These featured remastered versions supervised by the original directors, included Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and came with gorgeous artwork showing the iconic lightcycles and Grid imagery.

Walmart and Amazon took preorders, but Walmart sold out within hours. Amazon kept stock longer but started running dry fast. By late September, both retailers were completely sold out. Target never got significant inventory. Best Buy had minimal stock that disappeared quickly.

Disney severely underestimated demand. This wasn’t marketed as a limited edition release. There were no numbered copies, no “while supplies last” warnings. It looked like a standard catalog title. But collectors and resellers both showed up heavy, and the available units couldn’t handle the volume.

Tron: Legacy has a dedicated cult following. The film underperformed theatrically but became a home video success story, largely because of Daft Punk’s legendary soundtrack and the stunning visual design. Fans have been collecting every format release for over a decade. When Disney announced the first-ever 4K versions with new remastering, collectors treated it like a must-own release.

Then Tron: Ares hit theaters on October 10 and bombed hard. The film has grossed only about $104 million worldwide against a production budget of $180-220 million. Box office analysts are calling it a disaster, with projections showing Disney could lose over $130 million on it.

That theatrical failure makes collectors nervous. If Disney considers Tron: Ares a franchise killer, they might not reprint these SteelBooks. Disney’s physical media strategy lately has been small print runs and moving on, especially for titles that don’t perform theatrically.

Tron: Legacy SteelBooks are selling between $55 and $75, with most transactions landing around $60-$65. The original Tron SteelBook is seeing similar pricing, though demand is slightly lower since Legacy is the more beloved film among collectors.

Most resellers were able to load up on these well before they sold out, with some claiming they’d secured up to 50 SteelBooks for each film. Considering each one could be flipped for ~$30 in profit, you can see how lucrative this opportunity was.

Physical media collecting has grown significantly in recent years as streaming services yank content and digital purchases prove unreliable. Collectors want to own their favorite films permanently, and 4K SteelBooks represent the premium format for that ownership.

It’s unclear what degree Tron: Ares’ poor box office performance has to do with the market. Hype was high with Tron fan’s ahead of its release and was likely a large part of why they’ve sold out. Now that it’s bombed, we’re not sure if Disney will recoup their losses with a Tron: Legacy SteelBook restock or simply move on.

This is a fascinating example of how collectible media for a film can suddenly spike 15 years after release. The combination of first-ever 4K format, cult film status, legendary soundtrack, and Disney’s shrinking physical media commitment created perfect conditions for instant collectability.