“Project Hail Mary” Breaks Box Office Records
The sci-fi film “Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling, has set a remarkable record for non-franchise films, bringing in approximately $80.5 million during its opening weekend in North America. This figure, according to studio estimates, suggests around 5 million tickets were sold.
Opening on 4,007 screens, the PG-13 rated film easily dominated the domestic box office, exceeding forecasts and achieving a significant milestone for Amazon MGM, surpassing the previous record set by “Creed III” ($58 million in 2023). Without adjusting for inflation, “Project Hail Mary” now boasts the second-largest opening for a non-franchise movie, with “Oppenheimer” leading at $82.4 million in 2023.
In the last decade, only three non-franchise films have made over $70 million, with “Us” from Jordan Peele being the third. Notably, “Project Hail Mary” outperformed the openings of other recent space-themed blockbusters like “The Martian,” “Gravity,” and “Interstellar.”
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller crafted “Project Hail Mary” with a production budget around $200 million—double that of “Oppenheimer.” However, it has received positive reviews and audience ratings, suggesting it might remain in theaters for quite a while. A recent poll indicated it scored 5 out of 5 stars, and 83% of attendees would happily recommend it to friends. Interestingly, the audience was slightly more male (57%), with 55% under the age of 35.
The plot follows Gosling’s character who awakens alone in a spaceship, struggling with memory loss, and assigned the daunting task of saving the sun. As is typical for major releases nowadays, premium screen formats were in high demand, accounting for 56% of the weekend’s box office haul, with IMAX alone making up 24% of that total.
“We have a strong belief in ‘Hail Mary,’ and it’s evident that our audiences do too,” said Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution for Amazon MGM Studios. “The energy in theaters, along with the audience scores and word-of-mouth, is exactly what we envisioned for this film.”
In addition to this blockbuster, another notable new release is “Ready or Not 2: Coming,” which secured the fourth spot in the box office with $9.1 million. Disney & Pixar’s “Hoppers” earned $18 million, while the Bollywood sequel “Durandal: The Revenge” took in $9.6 million from Friday to Sunday. Universal’s “His Memories,” based on Colleen Hoover’s work, also performed well, finishing in the top five with around $8 million in its second weekend.
Moreover, Viva Pictures is set to release an animated adaptation of the popular children’s book “The Pout-Pout Fish” in 1,854 theaters, which is anticipated to break into the top 10 as well.
