Project Hail Mary breaks major record for Amazon following blockbuster weekend at box office
It has also secured its spot as the highest-grossing debut of any movie so far this year.
Project Hail Mary has become Amazon's highest-grossing film debut following a blockbuster weekend at the box office.
The new movie, which features Ryan Gosling in the lead, was the number one film at the global box office this weekend with $140.9 million worth of tickets sold, also scoring it the highest-grossing debut of any movie of the year so far.
It overtook Michael B Jordan's Creed III as the most successful film launch for Amazon since it acquired MGM in 2022, which also granted the streaming giant control over global franchises including James Bond and The Pink Panther.
Project Hail Mary is adapted from the book of the same name by Andy Weir. It follows Ryland Grace (Gosling), a science teacher turned astronaut who wakes up aboard a spaceship from a coma with amnesia. He soon discovers he is on a desperate, one-way suicide mission to save Earth from a stellar parasite called "Astrophage" that is dimming the sun.
Weir's novel The Martian was also adapted into the 2015 film starring Matt Damon, for which he received an Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe for best actor.
The new film is part of Amazon's pledge to release more than a dozen movies in cinemas annually before making them available on Prime Video.
Project Hail Mary received critical acclaim upon its release and was projected to make at least $70 million in sales, a forecast it surpassed by 15 per cent.
It is directed by filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, known for their work on the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street and Spider-Verse franchises.
Before Project Hail Mary's release, Scream 7 held the title of the biggest debut of 2026. After being released last month the film has gone on to earn $193.8 million at the box office, making it the top-grossing instalment in the franchise’s history.
Watch Andy Weir talk to Radio Times about Rocky's look in Project Hail Mary:
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
