Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary Scores 2026’s Biggest Opening, Sets New Record for Amazon MGM

The sci-fi epic Project Hail Mary delivered the strongest domestic opening of 2026 so far, hauling in a massive $80.5 million during its debut weekend. The film comfortably outpaced February’s Scream 7, which previously held the year's top spot with $63 million.

This performance marks a historic milestone for Amazon MGM, shattering the studio’s previous record held by Creed III ($58 million). While analysts originally projected a $65 million domestic start, glowing critical reviews and stellar word-of-mouth pushed ticket sales well beyond expectations. The film also dominated internationally, earning $60.4 million across 82 markets for a global weekend cume of $140.9 million.

Based on the novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary follows a scientist on an interstellar mission to save humanity. The film currently holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes against a production budget of $200 million.

Elsewhere at the box office, Pixar’s Hoppers slid to second place, bringing its total domestic haul to $242 million. Third place went to the Indian action-drama Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which debuted with $9.5 million—the biggest North American opening ever for a Bollywood title. Meanwhile, the horror sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come rounded out the top four with a $9 million start.

In other movie news, the first trailer for Martin McDonagh’s comedy Wild Horse Nine was recently released. Additionally, reports suggest that Netflix is developing an adult animated series based on the Powers comic book.

Are you planning to catch 'Project Hail Mary' on the big screen, or will you wait for the digital drop?