Key Takeaways
- Box Office Success: Project Hail Mary achieved an impressive $80.5 million opening weekend, exceeding expectations.
- Theatrical Commitment: Amazon/MGM’s investment in Project Hail Mary reflects their dedication to theatrical releases.
- Record-Breaking Performance: The film set records as the highest opening of 2026 and the second-best for a non-franchise movie.
- Future Prospects: Ryan Gosling’s strong performance in this film bodes well for his upcoming projects.
Whew! That’s the sigh of relief no doubt being breathed at Amazon/MGM this morning, with the news coming in that Project Hail Mary, their $200 million sci-fi epic, is a major hit, with a great $80.5 million opening. While I only predicted it would make about $40–50 million this weekend, audiences rallied around this well-reviewed (including by me) Andy Weir adaptation, with it setting a number of records this weekend. For one thing, it’s the highest opening of 2026 (so far), but it’s also the second-best opening for a non-franchise movie ever (after Oppenheimer, which beat it by just over $2 million). It’s also Ryan Gosling’s best opening as a solo star (although Barbie, in which he was part of the ensemble, made more). That’s important, because following the failure of the well-reviewed The Fall Guy, many wondered if he still had box office clout. Clearly he does, which bodes well for his upcoming Star Wars movie, Starfighter.
It’s worth noting that Project Hail Mary was a huge theatrical swing for Amazon/MGM, with them showing a commendable commitment to the big screen. It helped that Project Hail Mary was shot in 70mm IMAX, which I think gives people an extra enticement to check something out on the big screen (people love this format), making it an event. The CinemaScore rating is a very solid A, putting it in Sinners territory, which bodes well for a long box office run.
Pixar’s Hoppers has another solid showing in week three, with the $18 million weekend adding to its $120 million haul. It will certainly beat Elemental’s $140 million-plus total, although it seems unlikely to cross the $200 million mark, especially with the next Super Mario movie opening so soon. Bollywood epic Dhurandhar: The Revenge set a record for the biggest North American opening of a Bollywood movie, with it making an excellent $10 million-plus on fewer than 1,000 screens. Its per-screen average was the highest in the top ten besides Project Hail Mary.
That movie’s success proved to be bad news for Searchlight’s Ready or Not: Here I Come, with the sequel underwhelming with a $9.1 million opening. That’s in the same range as the first film, but the sequel was more expensive and likely won’t have the same kind of legs, although it should be a hit when it hits streaming. Reminders of Him had a surprisingly steep falloff for a Colleen Hoover adaptation, with the 56% decline (and $8 million gross) perhaps making it a victim of Project Hail Mary‘s appeal to date-night crowds. It’s made $33 million so far, meaning even if it continues to drop off, it should turn a nice profit.
Scream 7 is now officially the highest-grossing movie in the franchise, with the $4.3 million weekend contributing to a great $114 million gross. Sony’s GOAT made another $3.5 million as it inches its way toward $100 million (it’s currently at $97 million). A24’s microbudget horror flick Undertone dropped off a massive 66% in week two, but considering it cost well under a million dollars, its $15 million total gross means it’s been very profitable for the studio. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out by specialty titles, with the indie animated flick The Pout-Pout Fish making $1.5 million, and the latest MET Opera offering, Tristan und Isolde, making $722k.
Next weekend doesn’t have any huge openings except the SXSW hit They Will Kill You, so expect Project Hail Mary to once again come in on top. What will the drop-off be? Take a guess in the comments.
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