Ryan Gosling has officially delivered one of the biggest theatrical wins of the year with Project Hail Mary opening to an impressive $80.5 million at the domestic box office. The film has not only exceeded early projections but also set a new record for Amazon MGM, marking a major moment for the studio’s theatrical ambitions. With strong reviews and powerful word of mouth driving audiences to theaters, the sci fi epic has quickly positioned itself as one of the most talked about releases of 2026 and a clear crowd favorite in cinemas. The film also performed strongly internationally, bringing in $60.4 million across 82 markets, pushing its global opening to $140.9 million.
This marks the biggest opening of the year so far, surpassing earlier releases like Scream 7, and it also breaks Amazon MGM’s previous record set by Creed III, which debuted at $58 million in 2023. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, the author behind The Martian. The story follows a scientist sent on a high stakes intergalactic mission to save Earth from extinction.
The film reportedly had a production budget of $200 million, with additional millions spent on marketing, meaning it will need to maintain strong momentum in the coming weeks to turn into a major profit.
Early reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Project Hail Mary currently holds a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an A grade on CinemaScore, signaling strong audience satisfaction.
Industry analysts have pointed out that the film’s blend of emotional storytelling and large scale science fiction has played a key role in its success, drawing comparisons to The Martian.
The strong debut is especially significant for Amazon MGM, which has faced challenges with its theatrical releases since acquiring MGM in 2022. Previous films like Crime 101 and Melania struggled to meet expectations, putting added pressure on this release to perform.
Elsewhere at the box office, Pixar’s Hoppers dropped to second place but continues to perform steadily with over $120 million domestically. Meanwhile, the Indian action film Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge made history with one of the biggest openings for a Bollywood film in North America.
With minimal competition in the coming weeks, Project Hail Mary is expected to continue dominating the box office until the release of the next major tentpole film. For now, Ryan Gosling’s latest project has not only delivered a hit but also potentially changed the narrative around Amazon MGM’s big screen strategy.