Ryan Gosling set out to save the planet, and he may just save Amazon’s movie-making credibility.
“Project Hail Mary,” the sci-fi epic that stars Gosling as a scientist sent on a mission to save Earth from extinction, grossed $80.6 million in its opening weekend, marking the biggest box office success of the year so far.
It’s also the best opening ever for an Amazon MGM Studios film, beating the $58 million brought in by “Creed III” in 2023. Rotten Tomatoes noted that the studio was in need of a win “after the triple duds of “Mercy,” “Melania,” and “Crime 101” so far this year.
“We believe deeply in the Hail Mary, and it’s clear audiences do as well,” Amazon MGM’s distribution chief Kevin Wilson said, according to Variety. “What we’re seeing in theaters — the energy, the exit scores, the word of mouth — is everything we believed this film would deliver.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy did his part to market the film with a post on social media last week in which he called it his favorite movie that he’s seen in a long time. “Truly outstanding and unique, and recommend your seeing,” Jassy said.
The Hollywood Reporter said the film collected $60.4 million overseas for a global launch of $141 million. Gosling’s top-grossing film of all time is “Barbie,” but “the new film “Project Hail Mary” is his biggest domestic opening as an actor in a leading role, THR reported.
“Project Hail Mary” was adapted from “The Martian” author Andy Weir’s best-selling 2021 novel. The film, which cost $200 million to produce, was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“21 Jump Street,” “The Lego Movie”).
Amazon closed its $8.5 billion deal to acquire MGM in May 2022. It was Amazon’s second-largest acquisition behind its $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods in 2017.
Variety reported that 2026 is Amazon MGM Studios’ first year with a full theatrical slate — 13 scheduled films — since the acquisition, and there was pressure on “Project Hail Mary” to become a big hit. A string of the studio’s movies have made nowhere near enough to recoup their budgets, and while Amazon’s deep pockets make it easier to absorb losses, “no studio wants to be associated with a string of bombs,” Variety reported last week.
Amazon’s next major release is June’s toy adaptation “Masters of the Universe.”
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