Amazon’s gamble on “Project Hail Mary” has been rewarded, as the film recently surpassed “Creed III” to become the company’s highest-grossing movie.
It was a substantial gamble, with a reported budget of around $200 million. A steep price for any film, especially a non-sequel or franchise entry. It’s adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling sci-fi novel, whose “The Martian” became a successful film a decade ago.
“Project Hail Mary” stands out for its unconventional approach. For long periods, Ryan Gosling is the lone human actor, playing a scientist collaborating with an alien to unravel the mystery of dimming stars.
After 10 days in cinemas, “Project Hail Mary” has earned approximately $164.3 million in North America and $136.2 million internationally, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. Domestically, it saw a mere 32% drop in its second weekend, grossing $54.5 million, indicating final numbers will likely rise when it exits theaters.
This makes “Project Hail Mary” the biggest hit of 2026 so far and a highly successful non-franchise, non-sequel film of the last decade.
This success is positive for Amazon MGM Studios. The company’s ambitions have evolved from distributing smaller acclaimed titles like “The Big Sick” to acquiring movie studio MGM (resulting in a battle for the James Bond franchise) and planning to release 14 movies in theaters annually.
Before “Hail Mary,” films like “After the Hunt,” “Mercy,” and the “Melania” documentary struggled with audiences.
Amazon’s film head Courtenay Valenti told The New York Times that “Project Hail Mary”’s opening success validated their strategy of creating “big, bold entertaining commercial films.” More movies are set to hit theaters soon, including “The Sheep Detectives” with Hugh Jackman in May, followed by a “Masters of the Universe” reboot in June.