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“Project Hail Mary” Blasts Off at Box Office, Records Huge Opening Weekend
Ryan Gosling’s latest science fiction epic, “Project Hail Mary,” has made a stellar debut at the North American box office, drawing audiences in numbers not seen for a non-franchise film since “Oppenheimer.” The film, based on the popular novel, earned an estimated $80.5 million in its opening weekend, attracting approximately 5 million moviegoers.
The PG-13 rated space adventure premiered across 4,007 screens, easily securing the top spot and surpassing initial expectations. This impressive performance marks a new record opening for Amazon MGM Studios, outperforming their previous best, “Creed III,” which debuted with $58 million in 2023.
“Project Hail Mary” now stands as the second-biggest opening for a non-franchise movie in the last decade, trailing only “Oppenheimer,” which launched with $82.4 million in 2023. It also joins an elite group as one of only three non-franchise films in the past ten years to open over $70 million, alongside “Oppenheimer” and Jordan Peele’s “Us.” The film’s debut outpaced other modern space operas, including “The Martian” ($54.3 million in 2015), “Gravity” ($55.6 million in 2013), and “Interstellar” ($47.5 million in 2014).
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, “Project Hail Mary” carried a significant production budget in the $200 million range, roughly double that of “Oppenheimer.” However, early signs suggest a promising run, with strong reviews and high audience scores.
Exit polls from PostTrak awarded the film five out of five stars, with 83% of viewers stating they would “definitely recommend” it to friends. The audience demographic skewed slightly male (57%) and younger, with 55% under the age of 35.
The story centers on Ryan Gosling’s character, who awakens on a spaceship with fragmented memories, tasked with a critical mission to save the sun from dying. As with many highly anticipated “event” films, premium large format screens were a major draw, accounting for 56% of the weekend’s total gross, with IMAX screens alone contributing 24%.
“We believe deeply in the Hail Mary, and it’s clear audiences do as well,” stated Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of domestic distribution. “What we’re seeing in theaters – the energy, the exit scores, the word-of-mouth – is everything we believed this film would deliver.”
While “Project Hail Mary” dominated, other films also vied for audience attention. The Disney and Pixar animated feature “Hoppers” secured second place with $18 million.
The Bollywood sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” landed in third with $9.6 million, followed by Searchlight’s “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” in fourth with $9.1 million. Universal’s “Reminders of Him” rounded out the top five in its second weekend, earning $8 million.
An animated adaptation of “The Pout-Pout Fish” also opened in 1,854 theaters and is expected to place in the top 10.