Project Hail Mary Breaks 2026 Box Office Record With Preview Screenings

5 days ago 15

Ryan Gosling and Sandra Huller in a crowd in Project Hail Mary

Published Mar 20, 2026, 10:33 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Project Hail Mary has already broken a 2026 box office record.

Now, Variety reports that Project Hail Mary has earned $12 million in box office previews, making it the biggest debut for a movie in 2026. The preview number means the film has beaten out Scream 7, which was the previous record-holder for its $7.8 million in previews. But this is only the beginning for how well the movie is projected to perform.

According to Project Hail Mary's box office projections, the movie is on track to earn up to $65 million domestically in its opening weekend. Not only would that be a major haul for 2026 thus far, it would also be the biggest box office opening in the history of Amazon MGM Studios, who serve as the film's core distributor.

The success of the movie is unsurprising. Reviews for Project Hail Mary have been overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising the film for its sci-fi elements, compelling characters, and emotional story. As of writing, the movie holds a Certified Fresh 95% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Verified Hot 97% from audiences.

The Gosling-led movie is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, best known for directing 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie, as well as writing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse. The screenplay was written by Drew Goddard, who previously wrote 2015's The Martian, an adaptation of another novel by Weir starring Matt Damon.

This isn't the first time Gosling's played a character going into space: he previously portrayed Neil Armstrong in the biopic First Man, which won Best Visual Effects at the Oscars when it came out. It's also not his last time, as he'll be starring in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, which is set to be released on May 28, 2027.

With Project Hail Mary already a box office hit, there are good tidings ahead for the movie's continued performance in theaters. Now that it's broken a preview record, the film has a shot at continuing its success streak as opening weekend plays out. Its strong domestic projection could be just the start of its wider performance.