In an exciting turn of events at the box office, Project Hail Mary has achieved the biggest domestic opening of the year, bringing in $80.5 million. This figure surpasses even the most optimistic estimates and positions the film well ahead of other major releases this year.
The opening weekend has been notably successful for star Ryan Gosling, marking his second-largest debut after Barbie, which grossed $162 million. This success has made Project Hail Mary Gosling's eighth-highest grossing film domestically, surpassing several other popular titles such as Gangster Squad and The Big Short.
For directors Lorden Miller, Project Hail Mary is their largest debut, surpassing The Lego Movie's $69 million opening in 2014. Including their work as writers and directors, only Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's $134.1 million debut remains ahead.
Globally, the film also saw significant success, contributing to a total of $140.9 million worldwide, marking it as one of the biggest releases so far in 2026 behind Pegasus 3.
Other notable mentions in the box office include the impressive third-place debut of the Indian film Durandar the Revenge, reflecting the growing influence of Indian cinema worldwide.
The strong performance of Project Hail Mary supports a continuing upswing in March box office numbers compared to the previous year, driven by successful releases such as this one.
Viewers and industry analysts are eager to see if this momentum will continue with the upcoming releases like Super Mario Brothers Galaxy and others.