March 24, (THEWILL) — Hollywood actor Ryan Gosling’s new sci-fi film, Project Hail Mary, released in late March 2026, has earned $140.9 million at the global box office, making it the biggest debut of the year so far.
The film sees Gosling play a science teacher tasked with saving Earth from extinction. The story follows a former molecular biologist who is sent on a critical mission in space.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the movie is based on the novel by Andy Weir, who also wrote “The Martian”.
“Project Hail Mary” outperformed “Scream 7”, becoming 2026’s top opener. It also set a record as the fastest start for an Amazon MGM Studios production.
The film had a reported budget of $200 million and is one of the biggest non-franchise openings in recent years, alongside “Oppenheimer”.
A studio executive said the original novel provided a strong foundation and praised Gosling’s global appeal.
Speaking about the film, Gosling said he wanted to balance science with humour to make the story more engaging.
Early reviews have been mixed to positive. Some critics praised the film’s scale and entertainment value, while others said the story felt predictable. However, Gosling’s performance has been widely noted as a strong point.
The film marks a major box office success for Amazon as it continues to expand its theatrical releases.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
