Ryan Gosling’s sci-fi adventure Project Hail Mary has found its feet in style at the box office, roaring to an $80.5 million U.S. domestic debut.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind hits like The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, the film marks the pair’s first venture behind the lens since 2014’s 22 Jump Street.
Chasing the big bucks
With a $200 million budget, Project Hail Mary is based on a 2021 sci-fi novel of the same name by Andy Weir, following a man who awakens in space with no memory of how he found himself there.
Deadline reported that the film took a staggering $140.9 million worldwide, overtaking Scream 7’s $97 million opening to become the biggest global opening of 2026.
Moreover, it’s the biggest opening ever for Amazon MGM.
A major win for standalone films, the novel adaptation goes to show the power that good promotion and star power still hold in modern Hollywood; it is the second-highest debut domestically for a non-franchisee after Oppenheimer ($82.4 million).
Hollywood success seems to be flowing for novelist Weir, who has also seen his book The Martian adapted to Oscar-winning fanfare by Ridley Scott.
Reception of the film has also been overwhelmingly positive, hitting a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and occupying a spot on the Top 100 of Letterboxd films, averaging a rating (out of five) of 4.4.
‘Hoppers’ drop off
A direct casualty of the success of Gosling’s return to sci-fi is Disney Pixar’s Hoppers hitting some slackwater.
Directed by a debuting Daniel Chong, Pixar’s new offering follows an animal lover transferring their consciousness to a robotic beaver in an effort to save habitats.
The animation held the top spot for two weeks with an $88 million opening weekend, but is facing tough times, falling short of projections with a 38% decline.
Deadline also claimed that the Lord/Miller collaboration was occupying the ‘family’ watch territory that Hoppers’ continued financial success would hinge upon.
Box-office surprises and upcoming challengers
While meagre takings opposed to the heavy hitters, best picture winner One Battle After Another saw a short increase in viewership, jumping 24% to a near $200,000 take at the weekend.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride also seems as though it has reached the end of its (rather short) rope, grossing just $285,000 for a total $12.5 million gross.
Quite the disappointment for Warner Bros, the studio will hope they can bounce back this weekend with the wide release of the Zazie Beets-led horror flick, They Will Kill You.
Other upcoming releases include the weekend’s The Magic Faraway Tree, starring top-of-the-range Hollywood stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy and Jennifer Saunders and the early April releases of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and A24’s The Drama.
Gosling will hope Project Hail Mary keeps its momentum going, but with harsh competition on the horizon, the sci-fi hit could have a tough time keeping the top spot for weeks to come.
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