Fez — “Project Hail Mary” blasted to the top of the North American box office this weekend, earning $80.5 million (MAD 800 million) domestically and setting a new opening-weekend record for Amazon MGM Studios. The film also added $60.4 million overseas (MAD 600), lifting its global launch to about $141 million (MAD 1.3 billion) and giving the studio its clearest theatrical win since Amazon bought MGM.

The result puts the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi epic ahead of every other 2026 release so far at the domestic box office. It also surpassed the previous Amazon MGM opening benchmark set by “Creed III,” signaling a major shift for a studio that has spent the past few years searching for a true big-screen event title.

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, “Project Hail Mary” is adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel and follows a science teacher-turned-astronaut on a mission to save Earth. The film’s strong launch was helped by favorable reviews, audience enthusiasm, and a premium-format boost, with IMAX and other large-screen formats accounting for a significant share of ticket sales.

A turning point for Amazon MGM

The success matters because “Project Hail Mary” is not a modest studio programmer. With a production budget reported at roughly $200 million (MAD 186), the film arrived with unusually high stakes for Amazon MGM’s theatrical strategy. Its opening does not guarantee profitability, but it does suggest the company may finally have found the type of crowd-pleasing spectacle it has been trying to build into its release slate.

The weekend also offered a wider boost for the movie business. According to industry reporting, the domestic box office is now running about 21% ahead of the same point in 2025, even though revenues still remain below pre-pandemic norms. 

“Project Hail Mary” appears to have benefited from that improving climate while also reinforcing a point theaters have emphasized for years: event cinema still works when audiences feel a movie is worth leaving home for.

Other titles stayed well behind the weekend’s top performer. 

Pixar’s “Hoppers” held in second place, while “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” and “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” followed further down the chart. However, this frame clearly belonged to “Project Hail Mary,” whose debut now gives Amazon MGM momentum heading into the rest of its 2026 slate.