Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios
‘Project Hail Mary,’ Ryan Gosling’s new science fiction film, has debuted at the U.S. box office with earnings that exceeded all expectations, making it the second-highest opening weekend for an original film in the last 10 years. An unexpected box office triumph for Amazon MGM Studios and Ryan Gosling. His ‘The Martian,’ which opened this weekend with projections of earning just over $50 million at the U.S. box office, ultimately shattered all expectations with a take of $80.6 million, to which must be added the $60.4 million from international territories where it has been released.
The film, an adaptation of Andy Weir’s science fiction novel, has thus become the second-best opening for an original film in the last decade—excluding sequels and franchises. It trails only Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer,’ which opened with $82 million in its first weekend. The film, which arrived following an intense promotional campaign by Gosling in the United States, has won over critics and audiences alike, with rave reviews and enthusiastic reactions from theatergoers, which has fueled word-of-mouth for the most successful opening of 2026 so far. It is also a new success for Gosling, who is rebounding from the mixed reception of ‘The Specialist’ in 2024.
‘Project Hail Marry’ is, forgive the redundancy, a true salvation for Amazon MGM Studios, marking its first major success since the online retailer acquired the popular film studio. With a budget exceeding $200 million plus advertising, the distributor has finally scored a box office hit after a series of missteps that have tarnished the studio’s image. The most peculiar of these was the documentary ‘Melania’ about the U.S. First Lady, which, although it managed to gross a decent $16 million at the box office, fell far short of the $40 million it cost to make, and was poorly received as it was seen as an undisguised bribe to Donald Trump.
Another notable record for ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’
Second place at the U.S. box office goes to the Pixar film ‘Hoppers,’ which, in its third week, added another $18 million to reach $120.4 million in the United States, marking the best opening for an original Pixar film since ‘Coco.’ The other big surprise of the weekend was the Indian film ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge.’ Despite opening in only 987 theaters, the sequel to this popular Bollywood film grossed $9.5 million, marking the best opening in history for an Indian film in the United States.
It managed to outperform the weekend’s other domestic release, the film ‘Wedding Night 2,’ the sequel to the 2019 film, which couldn’t break the $8 million mark and landed in fourth place. ‘I Won’t Forget You,’ in its second week at the box office, rounded out the top 5 with $8 million, bringing its total to $33 million. A success for its mere $25 million budget. All in all, the box office continues a relatively successful 2026, with a 21% increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2025. That said, it is still 20% below the pre-pandemic average, though studios are expecting a good year if things continue this way.
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