'' Tron '' was released on July 9 , 1982 in 1,091 theaters in the United States . The film was a moderate success at the box office , and received positive reviews from critics who praised the groundbreaking visuals and acting . However , the storyline was criticized at the time for being incoherent . '' Tron '' received nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Sound at the 55th Academy Awards , and received the Academy Award for Technical Achievement fourteen years later . '' Tron '' was not nominated in the category of visual effects because the academy saw it as cheating to use computers to generate environments and effects . Over time , '' Tron '' developed into a cult film and eventually spawned a franchise , which consists of multiple video games , comic books and an animated television series . A sequel titled '' Tron : Legacy '' directed by Joseph Kosinski was released on December 17 , 2010 , with Bridges and Boxleitner reprising their roles , and Lisberger acting as producer , followed by the animated series '' Tron : Uprising '' set between the two films
55th Academy Awards
55th Academy Awards
Tron