Amazon’s bet on ‘Project Hail Mary’ has paid off big, with the film recently surpassing ‘Creed III’ to become the highest-grossing film ever.
And it was a big gamble, with a reported budget about 200 million dollars. That’s a big price to pay for any movie, but especially one that isn’t a sequel or part of an existing franchise. Instead, it’s based on a best-selling science fiction novel by Andy Weir, whose book “The Martian” was made into a hit movie a decade ago.
And that’s not the only thing that makes “Project Hail Mary” feel unconventional. For large stretches of the film, Ryan Gosling is the only human actor on screen, as the scientist he plays works with a rock-like alien to solve the mystery of why many stars – including our own – seem to be fading.
But after 10 days in theaters, “Project Hail Mary” has grossed an estimated $164.3 million in North America, as well as $136.2 million overseas, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Domestically, it only fell 32% in its second weekend to $54.5 million, so its box office totals should be significantly higher when it comes out of theaters.
This makes Project Hail Mary the biggest hit of 2026 (so far), as well as one of the most successful non-franchise, non-sequel films of the last decade.
And it’s good news for what is now known as Amazon MGM Studios. The company’s cinematic ambitions have evolved over time, from distributing smaller critically acclaimed titles like “The Big Sick” and “Manchester by the Sea” to its most recent acquisition of the MGM film studio (leading to a battle for control of the James Bond franchise) and declaring his intention to brings 14 movies to theaters every year.
Until “Hail Mary,” those films — including “After the Hunt,” “Mercy” and the controversial documentary “Melania” — seemed to be falling flat with audiences.
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Amazon’s head of film, Courtenay Valenti he told the New York Times that “Project Hail Mary’s” big opening weekend validated the company’s strategy of making “big, bold, entertaining commercial movies.” And he has other movies coming to theaters soon, including “The Sheep Detectives” starring Hugh Jackman in May, and then a reboot of “Masters of the Universe” in June.
