Interested in Predator: Badlands, but still undecided on whether I need to watch it in IMAX or not.
Late update but I watched Tron: Ares in IMAX and I enjoyed it. Definitely a flawed film but I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be.
I decided to watch the original Tron 1982 afterwards since I recognised some references (from Kingdom Hearts lol) and it turns out there were a lot of references to it in Ares.
Since I watched all 3 Tron films, I notice Ares is very much a Tron film like the previous 2. Mixed critic reviews, visually spectacular, excellent music, average or decent story, etc. Acting is also not a strong point in general across all 3 films. The acting (especially in Legacy) is pretty much carried by Jeff Bridges, though there are also a couple of notable acting performances from other actors (Ares also has a couple). Character writing is definitely one of the weak points of Ares but Tron '82 and Legacy are also not excellent too; Legacy has arguably the best character writing out of the 3.
So yeah, Ares is Tron film. NIN soundtrack is very good but it's unfair to compare it with Daft Punk.
It's a sequel to both Tron '82 and Legacy, but you can't go in expecting another Legacy. I think watching Tron '82 apart from Legacy would definitely enhance the experience of watching Ares. But it's a very old film with dated (but still impressive) CGI from the '80s, so it might be difficult to appreciate it and it would be like a fever dream to you if you can't vibe with it.
The ending and the mid-credits scene are setting up a sequel (also related to both Tron '82 and Legacy). But unfortunately, it's not doing well at the box office. Maybe we have to wait another 15 years for the sequel.