It was a big weekend for \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d \u2014 and by extension, Amazon MGM Studios.<\/p>\n
The sci-fi film starring Ryan Gosling as a reluctant science teacher-turned-astronaut tasked with saving the planet made $80.5 million in its domestic launch<\/a>, a massive haul that beat expectations and marked the highest opening weekend so far this year.<\/p>\n Only one other original, non-franchise film in the last 10 years has made more than $80 million in the U.S. and Canada in its first outing \u2014 Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cOppenheimer\u201d in 2023, which brought in about $82.5 million.<\/p>\n Globally, \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d has made about $140.9 million, benefiting from strong reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film cost about $190 million to produce.<\/p>\n Amazon MGM had high expectations leading into the weekend, but \u201cHail Mary\u2019s\u201d strong launch came as a pleasant surprise to even the studio, Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution, told me Monday. He attributed the movie\u2019s success to its \u201chumanity and hope,\u201d as well as Gosling\u2019s star power and directing by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.<\/p>\n \u201cThe theatrical marketplace is tough, and the bar is really high,\u201d he said. \u201cGiving exhibition a movie of this size and proving that our team can release a huge film in theaters was really important for us, and an early step in … what we want to do at Amazon MGM.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d is the first big, global theatrical bet from Amazon, four years after it acquired <\/a>the historic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The $8.45-billion deal gave Amazon a library of more than 4,000 movies and storied franchises including \u201cJames Bond,\u201d \u201cRocky\u201d and \u201cThe Pink Panther.\u201d<\/p>\n Until now, Amazon MGM hadn\u2019t made much of a dent at the box office.<\/p>\n In fact, the Culver City-based studio \u2014 which garnered early critical success with such movies as 2016\u2019s Oscar-winning \u201cManchester by the Sea\u201d \u2014 has largely churned out mid-budget films with a mixed record of success.<\/p>\n Its 2025 #MeToo drama \u201cAfter the Hunt,\u201d which had an all-star cast of Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri, made just $3.3 million domestically and $9.4 million worldwide. Films such as 2024\u2019s \u201cChallengers,\u201d which starred Zendaya, the Jason Statham-led \u201cThe Beekeeper\u201d and even last year\u2019s \u201cThe Accountant 2\u201d fared better, scoring decent returns in the U.S. and Canada.<\/p>\n Those are the kinds of films that used to make up the backbone of the industry and drew in audiences between the big tentpole hits. They\u2019re also the kinds of films that have increasingly disappeared from theaters as studios focus on buzzy \u201cevent\u201d movies or blockbusters.<\/p>\n Releasing a massive film like \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d was an important move for Amazon MGM and an example of the type of big, bold swings the studio wants to make.<\/p>\n \u201cProject Hail Mary\u2019s big budget spend is all about Amazon trying to leverage theatrical legitimacy and audience trust in the MGM brand,\u201d Exhibitor Relations senior box office analyst Jeff Bock told me. \u201cThis film is what hopes to be a launchpad for MGM\u2019s entire slate of 2026 films \u2014 something they have been incubating since Amazon purchased it.\u201d<\/p>\n Amazon MGM hasn\u2019t been shy about its theatrical ambitions.<\/p>\n At last year\u2019s CinemaCon trade conference for theater owners, the studio started its first-ever presentation<\/a> at the gathering with a trailer for \u201cProject Hail Mary,\u201d then brought Gosling, Lord and Miller on stage to build excitement around the film. Amazon MGM plans to release 13 films in theaters this year and has said it will boost that number to 15 movies by 2027. It\u2019s also building out an international distribution arm.<\/p>\n Former Sony film chief Amy Pascal and \u201cHarry Potter\u201d producer David Heyman have taken the reins of the next James Bond film<\/a> as its new producers, though no release date has been announced.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always skepticism around a traditional streaming company saying they want to get into the theatrical business,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cWe can talk and say we\u2019re going to do this, but the importance of showing it is what people and what exhibitors are really interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n He declined to disclose how long \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d will be shown exclusively in theaters \u2014 a particularly sticky topic for exhibitors in recent years \u2014 but said the studio knows it\u2019s a movie that \u201chas the ability to play in theaters for a long time\u201d and that Amazon MGM wants to \u201cprotect that.\u201d The film is also playing in Imax and has had 70-mm showings.<\/p>\n Wilson said \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d has been embraced by cinema chains and marks \u201ca great first step in us proving that we\u2019re going to deliver a lot of big movies to their theaters long term.\u201d<\/p>\n That commitment to theatrical releases is more important than ever to an industry that has seen a shrinking number of films in theaters, particularly after studio consolidations. <\/p>\n With the upcoming acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance, studios and exhibitors have become even more concerned about the quantity of theatrical movies. (Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has said the combined company will produce 30 films a year \u2014 15 from each studio, though many in the business say that is a tall order.)<\/p>\n Whether Amazon MGM can prove itself as a steady and reliable theatrical option remains to be seen, but a hit like \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d is certainly an auspicious sign. <\/p>\n Los Angeles lost 42,000 jobs in the motion picture sector between 2022 and 2024, partially due to production fleeing overseas, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n That figure was shared by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) at a news conference last week in Burbank, where he called for a federal tax incentive<\/a> for film and television production.<\/p>\n California boosted its own state tax credit program last year, and while Schiff said those changes are helping to lure productions back, it\u2019s not enough, my colleague Cerys Davies reported.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the end of March, which means I was parked on my couch (or at Pauley Pavilion) to watch March Madness for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tournaments.<\/p>\n On the men\u2019s side, my favorite watch was Cal Baptist nearly taking down No. 4 Kansas.<\/p>\nStuff We Wrote<\/h2>\n
Film shoots<\/h2>\n
Number of the week<\/h2>\n
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<\/picture> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat I\u2019m watching<\/h2>\n