It’s up, up and away for Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary,” which rocketed to the top of the box office charts on Friday en route to a stellar opening weekend.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s “Project Hail Mary” earned $33 million domestically on Friday from 4,007 locations. The sci-fi drama is expected to blast off to $77 million by Sunday, which marks the best opening for Amazon MGM ever, legging out 2023’s “Creed III” ($58 million). The film will need to hold strong for several weekends to justify its $200 million price tag, but the optics look good considering its 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and excellent word of mouth.
Based on Any Weir’s 2021 novel, “Project Hail Mary” follows Ryan Gosling as brainy school teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship light-years from Earth with no memory of how he got there. As the pieces fall back into place, he slowly remembers he is part of a plot to stop a mysterious substance from blacking out the Sun. Other cast members include Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung and Liz Kingsman.
Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” landed in second place on Friday with $5.4 million domestically. That marks yet another solid hold, declining just 26% from last week’s numbers. The animated adventure’s North American total should reach about $122 million by Sunday. After a string mistifires, Pixar can finally breathe a sigh of relief with the resounding critical and commerical success of “Hoppers.”
Searchlight Pictures’ “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” came in third place on Friday, pulling in $3.8 million domestically from 3,010 locations. The bloody horror sequel is projected to earn $9 million by the end of the weekend. The first “Ready or Not” opened similarly to $8 million domestically, but eventually powered to $28 million in the States and $57 million worldwide against a $6 million budget.
Samara Weaving returns as Grace, who, after surviving the Le Domas family’s lethal game, realizes she’s only made it to level two with the Danforths. This time, she must fight for her life alongside her estranged sister Faith, played by Kathryn Newton. Other cast members include Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg and Dan Beirne.
The No. 4 slot went to the Indian action epic “Dhurandhar The Revenge,” which made an estimated $3 million on Friday from just 987 North American theaters. The film is projected to gross $10.9 million by Sunday. A follow-up to 2025’s “Dhurandhar,” “The Revenge” continues the journey of Jaskirat Singh Rangi as he descends deeper into Karachi’s criminal underground. Cast members include Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Gaurav Gera.
Fifth place went to Universal’s “Reminders of Him,” which added $2.7 million domestically on its second Friday in theaters. The teary romance is expected to gross $8.7 million by Sunday, pushing its North American total to a solid $33 million. “Reminders of Him” holds a $25 million production budget.
