Project Hail Mary Box Office — $141M Global Opening Weekend, 95% Rotten Tomatoes, Rocky's Secret Post-Credits Moment
Project Hail Mary has landed. Ryan Gosling's sci-fi epic opened to $80.5 million domestically and $140.9 million worldwide this weekend — the biggest opening of 2026, the largest debut ever for Amazon MGM Studios, and the second-highest opening for a non-franchise film in history behind only Oppenheimer. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the Andy Weir adaptation is being called a once-in-a-generation original film — and there is something after the credits worth sticking around for.
Project Hail Mary Box Office — $80.5M Domestic, $140.9M Global
Project Hail Mary earned around $80.5 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in North America, topping the domestic box office charts and delivering a record opening for Amazon MGM — surpassing Creed III's $58 million from 2023. Internationally, the film earned $60.4 million from 82 markets, bringing its global start to $140.9 million.
The film joins Oppenheimer as only the second non-sequel, non-franchise film in the past decade to open to $80 million or more domestically — a genuinely historic achievement for an original story. IMAX screens alone accounted for $27.6 million of the global total, with premium large format screens making up 56% of the weekend's gross.
Project Hail Mary Rotten Tomatoes — 95% and an A CinemaScore
Certified Fresh at 95% on the Tomatometer, Project Hail Mary earned the best score for any wide release in 2026, alongside an A CinemaScore from audiences. Films with that combination — 90%+ Tomatometer, A CinemaScore, and a $75-90 million opening — include Skyfall, Dune: Part Two, Oppenheimer, and Zootopia. All grossed at least $250 million domestically.
Project Hail Mary Cast — Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz as Rocky, and Meryl Streep
The film stars Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace, a science teacher who awakens on an interstellar spacecraft with no memory of how he came to be there. Sandra Hüller portrays Eva Stratt, the head of the global project with absolute authority to commandeer resources from any nation. James Ortiz provides the voice and motion capture for Rocky, the five-legged alien engineer from 40 Eridani whom Grace names after Rocky Balboa.
Meryl Streep is credited as a rejected Rocky voice — one of several vocal layers tested for the alien character before Ortiz's performance was selected. Ray Porter, who voiced Rocky in the original Andy Weir audiobook, also provides additional vocal layers for the character.
Does Project Hail Mary Have a Post-Credits Scene — Yes, But Not What You Expect
Project Hail Mary does not contain a traditional post-credits scene with actors or a sequel tease. Instead, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller included a final song from Rocky after the credits — played without English subtitles. Fans debate whether Rocky says goodbye, thank you, or simply repeats the phrase "amaze amaze amaze." The ambiguity feels intentional, honoring the emotional communication gap that defines the Grace-Rocky friendship throughout the film.
Four badges styled like astronaut patches appear after the credits — three are production company logos, and the fourth is the MGM lion head, which moves as one of Rocky's legs.
Project Hail Mary Plot — What Is the Movie About
Grace discovers he is the sole survivor of three crew members and light years from Earth in a distant star system. Approaching Tau Ceti, he detects another spacecraft — piloted by a five-legged alien he names Rocky. Grace deduces that Eridians communicate via echolocation and builds a translation system using sound frequencies. Together they identify Taumoeba — a predator that consumes the sun-killing Astrophage — as the solution. Grace ultimately sacrifices his return fuel to rescue Rocky from being stranded, redirecting to Rocky's home planet Erid rather than returning to Earth.
The Andy Weir Connection — Project Hail Mary, The Martian, and Drew Goddard
Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir's 2021 New York Times bestseller — the same author behind The Martian. Drew Goddard, who wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott's adaptation of The Martian, also wrote the Project Hail Mary screenplay — making him the only writer to have adapted two Andy Weir novels for the big screen.
