Project Hail Mary’s Box Office Makes A Movie We’ve Waited 9 Years For Finally Possible

Project Hail Mary‘s excellent opening weekend box office performance is a great sign for another sci-fi novel adaptation. Ryan Gosling’s new sci-fi film is a hit with critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 94% critic score and a 96% audience score. The film also received an A CinemaScore.

In addition to its positive reactions, Project Hail Mary topped the domestic and worldwide box office during its opening weekend, grossing over $80.5 million domestically, and $140.9 million worldwide. It’s the biggest opening for a film in 2026 so far, and the best opening for a film released by Amazon MGM Studios.

The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and is based on the novel by Andy Weir. Lord and Miller are attached to direct another of Weir’s novels, though it’s been in development for several years. However, its chances of getting made could improve after Project Hail Mary‘s box office success.

Phil Lord And Christopher Miller Are Developing An Adaptation Of Artemis

In addition to Project Hail Mary, Weir also wrote The Martian, which was adapted into a 2015 film, directed by Ridley Scott. The film was also a critical and commercial success, even earning an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Following its success, Fox had plans to adapt Weir’s next book, Artemis, before it released in 2017.

According to Deadline, Lord and Miller were attached to direct Artemis in 2017. The sci-fi novel “centers on Jasmine Bashara, a.k.a. Jazz,” a “too-smart, directionless twentysomething” who lives in Artemis, “the first and only city on the Moon.” However, after taking on a “life-changing score,” she becomes entangled in “a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.”

The project has been stuck in development since Lord and Miller were announced as its directors. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Miller said that Artemis is still “possible.”

“There is an Artemis script, it’s delightful. The thing that was holding that back for years was, how do we execute one-sixth gravity? The story takes place on the moon. We think we’ve figured it out. That’s one of the ones that’s possible.”

While Artemis hasn’t been entirely scrapped based on Miller’s comments, it’s still unclear whether it will actually get made or not. However, the likelihood that it gets made may have gone up after Project Hail Mary‘s success.

Project Hail Mary’s Box Office May Improve Artemis’ Chances Of Getting Made

Project Hail Mary‘s opening gross of over $140.9 million worldwide is a fantastic start for the film. As explained by Variety, the film cost about $200 million to produce, and would need “to earn at least $500 million to break even.” However, it’s currently outpacing Weir’s previous adaptation, which was also a significant hit.

According to Box Office Mojo, The Martian earned around “$55 million” domestically and “$100.2 million” worldwide in its opening weekend. In total, the 2015 film grossed around $630.2 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.

Even if Project Hail Mary doesn’t reach The Martian‘s total gross, it’s off to a good start, and proves that Weir’s novels make for film adaptations that are well-received by critics and audiences and commercially successful. With Lord and Miller already attached to direct, it seems more likely that Artemis could get made, as it has the potential to be another hit.