Hail Mary
The hype surrounding Project Hail Mary may not reach Avengers levels, but it generated enough positive buzz to ensure it was hardly a Hail Mary for the studio. So far this week, it resembles a lob pass to the end zone for a guaranteed score. This is a significant moment for a property that hasn’t been established as a franchise. According to Deadline, early Thursday previews have surged to over $11 million at the box office.
Full of Grace
Despite some sure things underperforming in recent years, Project Hail Mary was already a beloved, best-selling novel. Excitement grew when it was announced that Drew Goddard would adapt the book for the screen and that the directors of the Spider-Verse films would helm the project. This early preview total reportedly marks the best to date for a non-franchise title, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which earned $10.5 million, F1, which brought in $10 million, Weapons, which opened with $5.7 million, and another awards contender, Sinners, which garnered $4.7 million in early preview gross.
Phil Lord is with thee
The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with producers including Amy Pascal, Ryan Gosling, Lord, Miller, Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor, and Andy Weir. Drew Goddard wrote the adapted screenplay based on the novel by Andy Weir, who also authored The Martian, which served as source material for the Matt Damon film of the same name. Goddard is also set to executive produce alongside his Goddard Textiles partner Sarah Esberg and Ken Kao.
Project Hail Mary was filmed for IMAX. Gosling stars alongside Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub. The synopsis reads, “Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.”
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