Amazon MGM Studios‘ 'Project Hail Mary' launches to $11m+ in previews
Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 New York Times bestselling novel
A standalone movie is causing a sensation at the box office, and we’re referring to Amazon MGM Studios‘ Project Hail Mary.
Insiders inform us that the sneak peeks for the Phil Lord-Christopher Miller directed sci-fi adventure have exceeded $11M, reaching a level that surpasses another standalone film, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer ($10.5M).
It's also leading ahead of all estimates for original films that many prediction services were comparing it to: F1 ($10M previews), Sinners ($4.7M) and Weapons ($5.7M).
Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 New York Times bestselling novel.
Regarding the rollout of previews, Amazon MGM Studios organized twenty-nine 70M shows last weekend (one show on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), followed by Prime member screenings on Monday in PLFs and Imax, along with tonight’s shows.
Before we obscure the main point further, goodness, it’s the top previews so far in 2026, surpassing Scream 7‘s $7.8M ($63.6M opening).
Recent tracking increased the weekend prediction to upwards of $60M. Let’s not get overly optimistic yet, since the opening estimate for F1 and Oppenheimer was $57M-$82.4M.
We’re also hearing that the Amy Pascal, Ryan Gosling, Rachel O’Connor, Andy Weir, and Aditya Sood project received five stars on tonight’s PostTrak.
Additionally, Project Hail Mary marks the top previews ever for an Amazon MGM Studios release, outperforming Creed III ($5.4M, which achieved a 3-day total of $58.3M, the best domestic opening ever for the shopping site-streamer-theatrical enthusiast).
It’s also arguably the second-best previews ever for a Gosling film behind Barbie ($22.3M).
The record for the best opening of a non-franchise film belongs to Oppenheimer ($82.4M) followed by I Am Legend ($77.2M; similar to Project Hail Mary it was inspired by a novel).
Engage with anyone in distribution, and the sentiment is “this is beneficial for the industry,” as it’s a standalone title gaining traction and reaching a broad audience.