The new movie, Project Hail Mary, has had a fantastic opening weekend, breaking box office records for its studio and for films that aren’t part of an existing franchise. It had the biggest opening day and overall start ever for a movie that isn’t connected to a larger series, and also achieved the largest domestic opening weekend of any film in that category.
The movie made approximately $33 million in North American theaters on its opening day, showing in over 4,000 cinemas. Experts predict the total earnings for the opening weekend will be around $77 million, according to early reports from box office trackers.
This film’s opening weekend also marks a new record for Amazon MGM Studios. Previously, ‘Creed III’ held the record with a $58.3 million domestic opening in 2023. This new success demonstrates significant improvement in the studio’s performance in theaters.
The first sneak peek at #ProjectHailMary is here! See it exclusively in theaters and IMAX starting March 20th. Tickets are available now – check the link in our bio.
— Project Hail Mary (@projecthailmary) March 6, 2026
Looking at other movies that weren’t part of an existing series, these numbers are especially impressive. Over the past decade, only Oppenheimer had a better opening weekend for an original film, earning about $82 million when it first came out.
The movie is getting a fantastic reaction from audiences and critics alike. It earned an ‘A’ grade from CinemaScore and boasts impressive scores on Rotten Tomatoes – 95% from critics and 97% from viewers. People are loving the film’s blend of space adventure, comedy, and heartfelt storytelling, and Ryan Gosling’s performance is being widely praised.
The movie is about to have some competition from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is also predicted to be very popular. However, the initial positive response indicates this sci-fi film will likely continue to perform well.
Also popular at the box office is “Hoppers,” which made around $20 million this weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to about $122 million. The Pixar film is continuing to do well.
I was really excited to see Dhurandhar: The Revenge do so well, and it totally delivered – it made around $10.9 million here in the U.S. from less than 1,000 theaters! It’s awesome to see such a strong turnout, especially from South Asian audiences. Aditya Dhar really knocked it out of the park with this one.
The movie “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is expected to open with around $9 million in ticket sales. Initial reviews are positive, with a B+ rating from CinemaScore and favorable feedback from audiences.
Rounding out the top five is “Reminders of Him,” which earned $8.7 million recently, bringing its total to around $33.8 million after just ten days in theaters. Viewership has decreased slightly, as is common after the initial release week.
The box office had a diverse weekend, with a mix of original movies, sequels, animated films, and international releases all finding success. The biggest news was the incredible debut of ‘Project Hail Mary,’ which achieved a record for films not tied to an existing franchise.
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2026-03-22 12:24