Ryan Gosling’s “Project Hail Mary” has become the most successful debut of the year so far after grossing a whopping $140.9 million at the global box office, outdistancing “Scream 7.” Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the sci-fi space adventure film tells the story of Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a former molecular biologist. His life is turned upside down when he wakes up in a spaceship with no memory and must solve the mystery behind a substance that is dimming the sun in order to save the world from extinction.
According to Amazon MGM, “Project Hail Mary” is giving tough competition to blockbusters like “Oppenheimer” and “F1: The Movie,” ranking as the third non-sequel and non-franchise film to debut above $50 million overseas since COVID-19.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Shatters Box Office Expectations With $140.9 Million Globally https://t.co/YbGHYtO9oc
— Variety (@Variety) March 22, 2026
It collected $10.2 million in the United Kingdom, $7.1 million in China, $5 million in Australia and $4.3 million in South Korea. IMAX alone contributed $27.6 million in global ticket sales.
The $200 million film about an intergalactic mission has now surpassed Creed III in posting the fastest start for a production by Amazon MGM Studios. It is also gearing up to become the first commercial hit for the studio.
In a conversation with Variety, Amazon’s distribution chief, Kevin Wilson, praised the crew behind the film. He said, “Andy Weir’s beloved novel gave us a powerful foundation, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have created a visually stunning, heart-gripping film led by the brilliant Ryan Gosling that demands to be experienced on the biggest screen possible—together, with a crowd.”
Wilson continued, “When you combine that with the exceptional critical response and strong audience reactions, you tend to find yourself in rarefied air. And it leaves no doubt that Ryan Gosling is a singular star who has the massive global appeal and charisma to anchor a story like this.”
Ryan Gosling tells us that he couldn’t learn any of the science for ‘PROJECT HAIL MARY’.
“There were sequences where I was drawing on a whiteboard and I’m supposed to be working out complex space math problems. Andy wanted it to be actual functioning space math…” pic.twitter.com/2ntfPIBCUd
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 22, 2026
The movie is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel by the same name. If the author’s name doesn’t ring a bell, he is the writer behind Matt Damon‘s The Martian, which was nominated for seven Oscars.
Box office analyst Shawn Robbins says that the movie provides an escape for people who want to tune out from the real world at such a strenuous time. “The debut of ‘Project Hail Mary’ is a testament to the power of Andy Weir’s original novel and the efforts of Lord and Miller made in being faithful to the adaptation.”
“[The movie] arrives at a time when people are looking for escapism from the real world’s dire headlines. This is the kind of rare breed movie that will continue drawing audiences in cinemas for weeks to come.”
