Ryan Gosling’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ Launches to Record $12 Million in Previews, Claiming Year’s Biggest Opening Start
LOS ANGELES — Amazon MGM’s highly anticipated sci-fi epic Project Hail Mary has officially achieved liftoff. The film, starring Ryan Gosling and based on the best-selling novel by Andy Weir, ignited the domestic box office with a stellar $12 million in Thursday night previews. This marks the highest preview haul of 2026 so far, signaling a potential blockbuster residency for the interstellar adventure.
Outperforming the Competition
By securing $12 million before its official Friday opening, Project Hail Mary comfortably eclipsed the previous record-holder for the year, Scream 7, which earned $7.8 million in its preview screenings. The strong turnout suggests that audiences are returning to theaters in droves for high-concept science fiction, particularly when backed by established literary IP and A-list star power.
Industry analysts suggest that if the momentum continues through the weekend, the film could potentially overtake early tracking estimates, which had originally pegged the opening three-day total in the $60 million to $70 million range. With positive word-of-mouth already swirling, the film is positioned to be a massive win for Amazon MGM.
The Weir-Gosling Synergy
The film’s success is a testament to the enduring popularity of author Andy Weir, whose previous adaptation, The Martian, became a cultural and commercial phenomenon. Project Hail Mary follows a similar vein of “scientific survival,” featuring Gosling as Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut tasked with saving humanity from an extinction-level solar threat.
Directed by the visionary duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), the production has been praised for its balance of technical accuracy and emotional heart. Gosling, coming off a string of high-profile roles, continues to prove his status as a premier box-office draw capable of carrying a massive solo narrative.
A Strategic Win for Amazon MGM
The opening performance is also a significant milestone for Amazon MGM Studios. Since the acquisition of MGM, Amazon has increasingly leaned into traditional theatrical windows for its tentpole releases before moving them to the Prime Video streaming platform. Project Hail Mary represents one of the studio’s most ambitious theatrical gambles to date, one that appears to be paying off handsomely.
With a reported production budget exceeding $100 million, the studio spared no expense on visual effects and practical sets to bring Weir’s complex orbital physics and alien encounters to life. The heavy investment in IMAX and premium large-format (PLF) screenings likely contributed to the high preview average, as cinephiles sought out the most immersive experience possible.
The Road Ahead
As the film enters its first full weekend of release, all eyes will be on its “legs”—the industry term for how well a movie sustains its audience over time. Unlike the front-loaded nature of horror franchises like Scream, sci-fi dramas often see a slower burn as older demographics and families catch up with the film throughout its run.
If Project Hail Mary follows the trajectory of The Martian or Interstellar, it could become a staple of the 2026 box office landscape. For now, Ryan Gosling and the team at Amazon MGM can celebrate a mission that is, so far, a resounding success.