Project Hail Mary Soars to Record-Breaking Box Office for Amazon MGM Studios

Amazon MGM Studios has achieved its biggest box office opening to date with “Project Hail Mary,” the sci-fi adaptation of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel. The film earned $33 million domestically on its opening day, Friday, March 21, 2026, and is projected to reach $77 million by Sunday, surpassing the previous studio record of $58.3 million set by “Creed III” in March 2023 .

A Stellar Debut for Ryan Gosling

“Project Hail Mary” stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a school teacher who awakens on a spaceship far from Earth with amnesia. As his memories return, he discovers he’s on a mission to save the sun from a mysterious phenomenon . The film as well features Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung, and Liz Kingsman.

Box Office Performance and Comparisons

The film’s opening weekend performance places it among the top non-franchise/non-sequel movie debuts of the past decade, trailing only Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” ($82 million in July 2023) . “Project Hail Mary” is currently vying to surpass “I Am Legend” ($77.2 million, 2007) to become the second-best start for a non-franchise/non-sequel film . The film has received positive reception, earning an A on CinemaScore and scores of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 97% from audiences .

Other Box Office Highlights

Disney/Pixar’s “Hoppers” secured the second spot with a $20 million third weekend, bringing its North American total to $122 million . Searchlight Pictures’ “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” followed in third place, earning an estimated $9 million for the weekend . The Indian action thriller “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” landed in fourth place with a projected $10.9 million gross, whereas Universal’s “Reminders of Him” rounded out the top five with an expected $8.7 million .

The weekend box office totaled over $143 million, a 91% increase compared to the same period last year .