Project Hail Mary Smashes Box Office Records with $80.5M Opening Weekend

Project Hail Mary Dominates Box Office with Record-Breaking Opening Weekend

The science fiction epic Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, has stormed into movie theaters, drawing audiences in numbers not seen for a non-franchise film since the blockbuster Oppenheimer. According to studio estimates released on Sunday, the film earned approximately USD 80.5 million in ticket sales during its first weekend in North America. Box office tracker EntTelligence estimates this translates to around 5 million ticket buyers, marking a significant resurgence for original cinematic storytelling.

Biggest Opening of 2026 and a Studio Milestone

Rated PG-13 and opening on 4,007 screens, Project Hail Mary easily topped the domestic box office charts. It surpassed expectations to become the biggest opening of 2026 and delivered a record debut for studio Amazon MGM, whose previous best was Creed III with USD 58 million in 2023. This achievement underscores the film's broad appeal and strong marketing push.

Historic Non-Franchise Performance

The film's opening weekend ranks as the second biggest for a non-franchise movie, trailing only Oppenheimer, which opened to USD 82.4 million in 2023. It now joins an elite group, becoming one of only three non-franchise movies in the past decade to open over USD 70 million, alongside Jordan Peele's Us. This highlights a growing trend of audiences embracing original, high-concept films in an era dominated by sequels and franchises.

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Leading the Space Movie Genre

In the realm of modern space movies, Project Hail Mary has set a new benchmark. It exceeded the debuts of several acclaimed films, including:

The Martian (another Andy Weir adaptation) at USD 54.3 million in 2015
Gravity at USD 55.6 million in 2013
Interstellar at USD 47.5 million in 2014

This success demonstrates the enduring popularity of space exploration narratives and the film's ability to captivate viewers with its thrilling premise.

Strong Global Performance and Production Details

Internationally, Project Hail Mary earned USD 60.4 million from 82 markets, bringing its global total to USD 140.9 million. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film carried a production budget of approximately USD 200 million, about double that of Oppenheimer. Despite the high cost, it has garnered strong reviews and audience scores, positioning it for a potentially long and profitable theatrical run.

The plot centers on Gosling's character, who wakes up alone with fragmented memories on a spaceship, tasked with a mission to save the sun from dying. Premium large format screens were in high demand, contributing 56% of the weekend's gross, with IMAX screens alone accounting for USD 27.6 million globally. The film faces minimal competition in its second weekend until it loses IMAX screens to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 1.

Other Top Performers at the Box Office

Disney and Pixar's Hoppers secured second place, earning an estimated USD 18 million domestically. Its total domestic collection now stands at USD 120.38 million, with international earnings of USD 122.20 million, bringing the worldwide total to an estimated USD 242.58 million.

In third place, the Bollywood sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, opened with an estimated USD 9.6 million to USD 10 million over the weekend. It faced competition from Project Hail Mary, with collections dipping on Friday but showing growth on Saturday. The film outperformed Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which earned USD 9.1 million.

Universal's Reminders of Him rounded out the top five with USD 8 million in its second weekend.