The runtime for Project Hail Mary has been revealed, reigniting a long-running debate about movie durations. The supersized length of Ryan Gosling‘s space adventure rivals Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar (the director’s second-longest film after Oppenheimer). Filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller evidently needed plenty of time to tell the story of the bestselling novel from Andy Weir, which has been adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard, but it has drawn mixed reactions from the film community.
Theater listings for Project Hail Mary confirm that the sci-fi epic clocks in at 2 hours and 46 minutes (hat tip to World of Reel), hinting at the huge scope of the ambitious project. It is just three minutes shy of Interstellar‘s runtime (2 hours, 49 minutes) and 20 minutes longer than Ridley Scott’s Andy Weir adaptation of The Martian (2 hours, 21 minutes). Sci-fi films can skew a little longer than other genres to accommodate the world-building and deep storytelling that is often involved, but some have achieved a runtime of 90 minutes or less, raising questions over whether a bumped-up runtime is warranted to bring the story to the screen.
Project Hail Mary immediately started trending on X/Twitter as movie enthusiasts discussed its runtime and whether it appeals to them. Some praised the duration, asserting that it should have been expected as the film is based on a substantial sci-fi novel (just short of 500 pages) and the additional minutes will allow the hard-science plot and alien friendship to have room to breathe. Others quizzed if longer features equal better features and expressed a desire for shorter cinematic experiences that show a little more restraint to ensure films don’t unravel by lingering on repetition, indulging in side quests, or stretching out finales.
A poll conducted back in 2024 found that 92 minutes is widely regarded as the “perfect” movie runtime. Of the 2,000 participants, 2% (40 respondents) believed that a film should last longer than two and a half hours and only 15% (300 respondents) considered films over two hours favorable. The survey suggests that even though studios often push for longer, “event”-style cinema, the average viewer craves shorter, more efficient storytelling. Despite the outcome of the research, modern movies are, on average, getting longer. Eight out of ten of the most popular movies of all time (based on box office figures) exceed the two-hour mark, with only animated features such as Zootopia 2 and Inside Out 2 falling in the under two-hour category.
What Is ‘Project Hail Mary’ About?
Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace in Project Hail MaryAmazon MGM Studios
Project Hail Mary centers on Ryland Grace, an amnesiac astronaut who, per the synopsis (below), awakens on a spacecraft with no recollection of himself or his mission. The trailers for the film have set the stage for an exciting sci-fi odyssey, exploring themes of human resilience, scientific survival, and unlikely friendships (with otherworldly beings). Weir acknowledged that a big twist from the novel has already been spoiled, but supported its inclusion, emphasizing the importance of getting “butts in seats” when the film debuts.
“Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship, light-years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.”
The film adaptation of Project Hail Mary is expected to be one of this year’s major sci-fi blockbusters. It is scheduled to touch down in theaters on Mar. 20, 2026 – just over a year before Gosling journeys to the galaxy far, far away to make his Star Wars debut. These two projects mark a return to sci-fi territory for Gosling following his acclaimed performance as K in the neo-noir thriller Blade Runner 2049 and his portrayal of Neil Armstrong in the historical drama First Man, but only time will tell whether people are willing to spare 2 hours and 46 minutes of their time on watching his latest feature to allow it to lift off at the box office.
Release Date
March 20, 2026
Runtime
166 Minutes
Director
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
Producers
Patricia Whitcher, Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, Ken Kao, Aditya Sood, Will Allegra
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Sandra Hüller
Eva Stratt
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Milana Vayntrub
Olesya Ilyukhina
