Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller couldn’t have asked for a more resounding return than Project Hail Mary. The movie opened to widespread critical acclaim and has since been breaking records at the box office. This weekend, its third, the sci-fi epic is projected to pass the $400 million mark worldwide and the $200 million mark domestically. Lord and Miller hadn’t directed a movie in over a decade and were unceremoniously removed from Solo: A Star Wars Story after their vision failed to align with that of Lucasfilm. They were replaced by Ron Howard on the film, which became the first live-action Star Wars film in history to flop at the box office. Lord and Miller have spent their time championing animation in the last few years, having produced the groundbreaking Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling in the lead role and is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, whose previous work was adapted into the hit film The Martian. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, The Martian received fantastic reviews and grossed $630 million worldwide against a reported budget of $110 million. Project Hail Mary is said to have cost around twice as much, which means that it needs to gross at least $400 million worldwide to break even. As things stand, not only will the movie hit this benchmark in a matter of days, but it will eventually challenge Dune: Part Two‘s $715 million global haul. With a stellar 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s all but guaranteed to become Gosling’s top-grossing movie, as he prepares to take things up a notch with next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter.
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Here’s the Sci-Fi Classic That ‘Project Hail Mary’ Has Overtaken
In the last few days, Project Hail Mary has overtaken a string of acclaimed sci-fi films, including Dune and Blade Runner 2049. More recently, it passed the $177 million lifetime domestic haul of the Wachowskis’ The Matrix. Released in 1999, it remains one of the best and most influential sci-fi films ever made. It starred Keanu Reeves in the lead role, grossed more than $460 million worldwide, and was followed by three sequels. Interestingly, a fifth installment is being written and directed by Drew Goddard, who wrote the screenplay for Project Hail Mary.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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March 15, 2026
- Runtime
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157 minutes
- Director
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Christopher Miller
- Writers
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Drew Goddard, Andy Weir
- Producers
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Patricia Whitcher, Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, Ken Kao, Aditya Sood, Will Allegra, Rachel O’Connor, Nikki Baida