Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is the most significant original science fiction film of summer 2026, earning extraordinary audience retention across months. Released March 20, 2026, by Amazon MGM Studios, it debuted to $80.6 million domestic and $60.4 million overseas for a $141 million global opening — the studio's biggest-ever debut. By late May 2026, the film surpassed $639 million worldwide and crossed $300 million domestically, an unprecedented hold for a non-franchise sci-fi film that outperforms #10 Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's $598.8 million global total. Its Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 94 percent from over 407 critics, with the consensus calling it "a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart" carried by Ryan Gosling. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a Drew Goddard screenplay based on Andy Weir's novel, the film features an alien character named Rocky — a spider-like extraterrestrial — whose cross-species friendship with astronaut Ryland Grace elevates the narrative. This relationship has been cited by virtually every reviewer as the emotional engine that makes Project Hail Mary the summer's best kept secret for viewers who prefer their blockbusters with a brain.