If you’re going to throw a Hail Mary pass, it helps if you have a star launching the ball in the air.
This weekend, Amazon MGM Studios‘ “Project Hail Mary” stunned the box office with the best opening of 2026, bringing in $80.5 million domestic and a total $140.9 million worldwide. There were predictions early on that the domestic box office could be closer to $30-40 million, which would’ve been maybe more of a Fail Mary for a movie with a $200 million net budget.
There’s never just one reason why a movie like this so wholly obliterates expectations. It brought in $27.6 million globally from IMAX, it has an “A” CinemaScore from audiences, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have a track record of unexpected commercial smashes out of things that probably shouldn’t work, and people seem to love Andy Weir books. Frankly, there’s a whole confluence of factors that had to make this a hit — though seeing Sandra Hüller do karaoke again can’t be ignored as one of the biggest.
Ryan Gosling, Movie Star
Does Ryan Gosling belong on the same extremely short list of “because of” stars who can consistently open a movie? The types of stars you go to the theater to see specifically, regardless of the IP or the subject?
Timotheé Chalamet has proven to be on that list. Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, and Brad Pitt almost certainly are. Leonardo DiCaprio deserves some love, and… end of list? Dwayne Johnson and Sydney Sweeney are still stars in the right movie (i.e. no one wants to see them in depressing boxing biopics). We can talk about some other names, but “Project Hail Mary” suggests Gosling should be in that conversation.
You would be right to be skeptical. His last original star vehicle, the action comedy “The Fall Guy,” fell flat with just $181 million worldwide against a production budget of $130 million, not including marketing costs. (Maybe audiences didn’t want to see an inside look at Hollywood stuntmen.) Netflix’s “The Gray Man” or the Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man” are also dings against his resume.
But Gosling, like Chalamet, knows how to work the media cycle, culminating in another memorable “SNL” appearance and carving out some other viral moments. He’s been more than willing to do whatever marketing stunts have been asked of him, and his international appeal is only growing. Gosling will star in the next film set in the “Star Wars” universe because he’s the type of actor who again can lead something untested and has enough charisma and charm to literally find a connection with a pile of rocks as a screen partner.
One sign of a smart movie star is knowing when to jump on board a movie that could break out. Gosling was smart enough to sign onto “Project Hail Mary” early on as a producer soon after MGM acquired the Andy Weir novel before publication, before Lord & Miller and writer/”The Martian” adapter Drew Goddard came on board.
“Maybe the future is not something to be feared, rather, just figured out.” Gosling has been repeating this mantra on the “Project Hail Mary” campaign trail en route to the Amazon/MGM movie’s $141 million opening weekend, which already made the space epic the ninth highest-grossing film of 2026.
Christopher Miller, Drew Goddard, Phil Lord, Ryan Gosling at the ‘Project Hail Mary’ panel at the 2025 Comic-Con International: San DiegoVariety
Originality Is Still King
The biggest feather in the cap of originality at the movies came two weekends ago at the Oscars when the two big winners were “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” two films that found audiences despite not being franchises or even based on IP in the way “Project Hail Mary” was based on a Weir novel. “Project Hail Mary” opened better than either of those titles.
In fact, the last “original,” non-sequel, or franchise film in the last decade to open higher than “Project Hail Mary” was Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which had an $82 million domestic opening. “The Martian,” which was also based on a Weir novel and certainly fits into the star-driven, original sci-fi epic conversation, only opened to $54.3 million domestic and legged out to $630 million worldwide, with the majority of that coming from international audiences.
Not coincidentally, the executives who brought in “Project Hail Mary” to Amazon MGM were the same ones who made “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners”: Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. De Luca brought the project to Amazon while they were briefly at the studio after its takeover of MGM. He’s at least one guy who recognizes the value of fresh ideas in Hollywood.
“It’s inspiring to see such a big swing be rewarded with this level of theatrical love, and it adds to the proof that global audiences will absolutely turn out for new films from incredible storytellers,” De Luca told IndieWire of the film’s success.
Lord and Miller clearly see the value too. They teased to THR that they have a script ready for an adaptation of another Weir novel, “Artemis,” but it’s been stuck in development at New Regency for some time because they couldn’t figure out how to affordably capture the Moon’s gravity. They hinted they may have figured it out, and others around town have long taken notice of their knack for originality as both directors and producers.
“Like Mark Twain or WC Fields, or whomever said reports of their death were greatly exaggerated, so it is with original movies. Make a great film, which Chris and Phil did, and audiences will absolutely go to the theater. Original films are not dead,” Sony Pictures Film chief Tom Rothman told IndieWire of the surprise success of the film.
Success Breeds Risk Taking
With uber-producer Amy Pascal keeping the ship on course, Amazon/MGM was willing to give Lord and Miller their heads. They made bold decisions, built practical sets, and improvised scenes like picking the alien Rocky’s voice (Meryl Streep went along for the ride).
And as the biggest opening for an Amazon MGM film in the studio’s history, the swing the studio and film chief Courtenay Valenti took on “Project Hail Mary” represents the vision they have for a full slate of theatrical releases in 2026. Movies like “Mercy,” “Crime 101,” and the “Melania” documentary have all struggled against costly budgets, and the upcoming “Masters of the Universe” live-action film is another big question mark.
But the stars seem to have aligned on this one. It’s hard to pinpoint one demographic or one territory where “Project Hail Mary” over-indexed. The film was a broad, four-quadrant success, and it’s that reason that has the studio now thinking the sky could be the limit. It wasn’t just sci-fi fans or devotees of the book who came out, but general audiences who appreciated the film’s blend of science fiction and humor, despite its two-and-a-half hour running time.
It’s now emerging as a family-friendly option that could help it long term, even with “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” opening just over a week away.
‘Project Hail Mary’Amazon MGM
Hope Wins the Day
Finally, this costly epic overperformed because it’s what world-weary, battered moviegoers wanted to see. The movie gives them a heartfelt bromance between Gosling’s scientist Dr. Ryland Grace and Rocky, the alien engineer. They are competent, likable, and yes, heroic. Like the beleaguered doctors on the Emmy-winning hit series “The Pitt,” they will figure out how to fix what is wrong, using their ingenuity and helping each other because they share a common goal: saving their worlds.
But, at the same time, they will also save each other. Hollywood, are you listening?
