Project Hail Mary soars
Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary is tracking to a $77M+ U.S. opening weekend after $12M in previews and roughly $33M on day one — Amazon MGM’s biggest launch and the strongest opening of 2026 so far. Critics mostly praised Gosling and the film’s blend of high‑stakes sci‑fi and feel‑good storytelling, though some reviewers said it plays it a bit safe; Amazon MGM will stream the film in the coming months. (deadline.com) (variety.com) (keithandthemovies.com) (forbes.com)
The movie opened in 4,007 U.S. locations on Friday. (variety.com) Amazon MGM timed the release to roll out across 82 international markets alongside the U.S. launch. (hollywoodreporter.com) Critic aggregation shows a roughly 95% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. (rottentomatoes.com) Opening‑night exit polling awarded the film an A on CinemaScore. (joblo.com) PostTrak data reported a demographic mix of about 59% white, 20% Latino/Hispanic, 10% Asian American and 6% Black moviegoers, and premium formats (IMAX/PLF) represented roughly 56% of the weekend’s ticketing with IMAX accounting for close to 24% of the gross. (deadline.com) Reported production numbers vary by outlet: early trackers cited a $150 million budget, Variety reported a $200 million figure, and public listings show a $248 million gross budget figure. (deadline.com) Amazon MGM has signaled a push to rebuild theatrical credibility with a heavy 2026 slate and Prime Video as the downstream home for its wide releases. (aboutamazon.com) As precedent, Amazon moved The Accountant 2 to Prime Video 42 days after its April 25 theatrical opening (streaming June 5), and industry coverage has suggested Project Hail Mary could follow a similar mid‑June theatrical‑to‑streaming window. (deadline.com)
