Project Hail Mary arrives like the sci-fi event Hollywood keeps asking for

TL;DR

Ryan Gosling has done it again. Project Hail Mary has absolutely smashed its opening weekend, taking a massive $80.5 million in North America.

It’s a huge win for Amazon MGM and proves that Hollywood doesn’t always need a tired franchise or a cinematic universe to get people into cinemas. A brilliant, original prestige sci-fi movie with a great leading man is still a proper event. It’s out right now, and it’s well worth your evening.

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Let’s talk about why this is such a brilliant result. The industry has been a bit twitchy lately, acting like audiences only want endless sequels. Project Hail Mary has firmly binned that notion. It’s beaten Amazon MGM’s previous records and sits just behind Oppenheimer for non-franchise opening weekends.

Ryan Gosling in an official still from Project Hail Mary.

Official still from Amazon MGM Studios for Project Hail Mary.

Gosling is undeniably a massive part of the draw. Ryland Grace is exactly the kind of character he plays to perfection: smart but not unapproachable, funny but still taking things seriously, and vulnerable without wallowing. He makes a bloke stuck in an impossible space situation feel entirely relatable.

But it’s not just the Gosling show. Andy Weir’s core idea is brilliant, and the creative team behind the camera is top-notch. Screenwriter Drew Goddard knows how to keep things moving, whilst Phil Lord and Christopher Miller make sure it doesn’t get bogged down in heavy sci-fi misery.

Amazon MGM deserves credit too. They treated this like a massive deal from day one – shooting for IMAX and pushing it heavily through Prime. They made it feel like a proper night out, not just a homework film.

For us in the UK, the best news is that it’s in cinemas now. This isn’t one to wait for on streaming. Audiences have clearly decided it’s an occasion, and original, smart sci-fi getting this kind of love is a story worth celebrating.