Ryan Gosling's 'Project Hail Mary' breaks records; collects $141M globally
What's the story
The science fiction film Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, has exceeded expectations at the box office. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, it raked in a whopping $140.9 million globally during its opening weekend. This includes $60.4 million from 82 international markets and $80.5 million from North America alone! The movie's success marks Amazon MGM's biggest debut ever and the largest start of the year in the US.
Record-breaking debut
'Project Hail Mary' beats 'Creed III's record for Amazon MGM
The film's debut has surpassed that of other major releases this year, including Scream 7, which earned $33.1 million overseas and $97.2 million worldwide, per Variety. It also beat the previous record for Amazon MGM set by Creed III in 2023 with $41.8 million overseas and $100.4 million worldwide earnings. The movie is based on Andy Weir's best-selling novel of the same name, who also wrote The Martian, which was adapted into a successful film starring Matt Damon in 2015.
Star appeal
Amazon's distribution chief credits Gosling's performance, critical response
Amazon's distribution chief Kevin Wilson credited Gosling's performance and the film's critical response for its success. "When you combine that with the exceptional critical response and strong audience reactions, you tend to find yourself in rarefied air. And it leaves no doubt that Ryan Gosling is a singular star that has the massive global appeal and charisma to anchor a story like this." It is shaping up to be Amazon MGM's first commercial hit after Melania and Crime 101 underperformed.
Box office success
Film joins elite group of post-COVID box office successes
Per Amazon MGM, Project Hail Mary is the third non-sequel, non-franchise film to open over $50 million overseas since COVID. It joins Oppenheimer and F1: The Movie in this elite group. The film's top markets include the UK ($10.2 million), China ($7.1 million), Australia ($5 million), and South Korea ($4.3 million). Premium screens also played a role in its global earnings; IMAX alone accounted for $27.6 million in worldwide ticket sales! Project Hail Mary is hitting Indian theaters on Thursday.