Amazon’s investment in “Project Hail Mary” has reaped substantial rewards, as the film recently outperformed “Creed III” to become the company’s highest-grossing film of all time.

This was a considerable gamble, with an estimated budget of about $200 million. Such a hefty figure is significant for any movie, especially one that isn’t a sequel or part of a current franchise. Rather, it’s adapted from a bestselling science fiction novel by Andy Weir, whose earlier book “The Martian” was successfully turned into a film a decade earlier. 

Additionally, “Project Hail Mary” stands out for being quite unique. For extended periods in the film, Ryan Gosling is the sole human performer on screen, portraying a scientist who collaborates with a rock-like alien to uncover the reason behind the dimming of several stars — including our own.

However, after just 10 days in theaters, “Project Hail Mary” has generated an estimated $164.3 million in North America, alongside $136.2 million internationally, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Domestically, it experienced only a 32% drop in its second weekend, earning $54.5 million, indicating that its final box office totals are likely to rise significantly once it concludes its theater run.

This positions “Project Hail Mary” as the biggest success of 2026 thus far, as well as one of the most triumphantly non-franchise, non-sequel films of the last ten years. 

This is encouraging news for what is now referred to as Amazon MGM Studios. The company’s film-making aspirations have transformed over the years, evolving from distributing smaller, critically praised films like “The Big Sick” and “Manchester by the Sea” to more recent acquisitions such as the MGM movie studio (prompting a dispute over control of the James Bond franchise) and announcing plans to release 14 films in theaters annually.

Prior to “Hail Mary,” those films — including “After the Hunt,” “Mercy,” and the contentious “Melania” documentary — appeared to underwhelm audiences.

Courtenay Valenti, Amazon’s film head, informed The New York Times that the impressive opening weekend of “Project Hail Mary” affirmed the company’s approach of producing “big, bold entertaining commercial films.” Furthermore, more titles are set to grace theaters soon, such as “The Sheep Detectives” featuring Hugh Jackman in May, followed by a “Masters of the Universe” reboot in June.