“Project Hail Mary” has made a big splash in theaters, attracting audiences like few non-franchise films have in recent years, just like “Oppenheimer” did. Starring Ryan Gosling, the movie raked in approximately $80.5 million during its opening weekend in North America, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Box office tracker EntTelligence suggests that this translates to about 5 million ticket buyers.
This PG-13 rated film debuted on 4,007 screens and easily claimed the top spot at the domestic box office, exceeding expectations and setting a record opening for Amazon MGM Studios, surpassing their previous best of $58 million with “Creed III.” Notably, “Project Hail Mary” now holds the second largest opening for a non-franchise film, only behind “Oppenheimer,” which opened at $82.4 million in 2023.
In the past decade, it’s one of only three non-franchise films to debut over $70 million, joining the ranks of Jordan Peele’s “Us.” When comparing space operas, “Project Hail Mary” outperformed other notable titles such as “The Martian,” which opened at $54.3 million in 2015, “Gravity” at $55.6 million in 2013, and “Interstellar” at $47.5 million in 2014.
On the international front, “Project Hail Mary” earned $60.4 million across 82 markets, bringing its global total to an impressive $140.9 million. Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution at Amazon MGM Studios, acknowledged the challenges of the theatrical landscape, noting, “We all know theatrical is not an easy business. It’s tougher today I think than it’s ever been.”
Despite the challenges, the film’s success places it in “rarefied air” alongside “Oppenheimer,” and Wilson mentioned that it seems to be appealing to a broad audience, particularly in markets like Salt Lake City, Denver, and Portland, which have seen strong family attendance.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, “Project Hail Mary” had a production budget of around $200 million, which is significantly higher than “Oppenheimer.” However, it has received excellent reviews and audience scores, setting it up for a potentially long run in theaters. According to PostTrak exit polls, it scored a perfect five out of five stars, with 83% of viewers stating they would “definitely recommend” it to friends. Interestingly, the audience demographic skewed slightly male (57%), with 55% being under the age of 35.
The storyline revolves around Gosling’s character who wakes up alone on a spaceship, with limited memory, and his mission to save the sun from dying. As is common with major releases, premium large format screens were highly sought after, accounting for 56% of the weekend’s gross, with IMAX screens alone contributing $27.6 million to the total.
Looking ahead, Wilson noted, “The next interesting piece will be how long can this movie play, which I think could be something special.” “Project Hail Mary” is set for its second weekend with minimal competition, expected to remain strong until it begins losing IMAX screens to “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” on April 1.
In contrast, Hollywood’s other new release, “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” from Searchlight, landed in a distant fourth place with $9.1 million, following Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” ($18 million) and the Bollywood sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” which earned $9.6 million over the same period. Universal’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, “Reminders of Him,” rounded out the top five with $8 million.
Viva Pictures also released an animated adaptation of the children’s book “The Pout-Pout Fish” in 1,854 theaters, which secured ninth place with $1.5 million.
So far, the year’s box office is up about 21%, as reported by Comscore, indicating a significant recovery in the movie industry.
Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, remarked, “The performance of ‘Project Hail Mary’ is a momentum builder like no other and it’s reinvigorating the movie marketplace. This is a momentum business, and this is exactly what the industry needed right now.”
Here’s a look at the top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend:
1. “Project Hail Mary,” $80.5 million.
2. “Hoppers,” $18 million.
3. “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” $10 million.
4. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” $9.1 million.
5. “Reminders of Him,” $8 million.
6. “Scream 7,” $4.3 million.
7. “Goat,” $3.7 million.
8. “Undertone,” $3 million.
9. “The Pout-Pout Fish,” $1.5 million.
