Ryan Gosling is giving Hollywood studios his two cents as his latest film, “Project Hail Mary,” launched into orbit over the weekend.
The actor, who stars in the sci-fi epic based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, made a surprise visit to a New York theater on Thursday.
He spoke to moviegoers about reading the manuscript for the then-unpublished novel six years ago, a time when theaters were shutting down and studios paused productions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I got the best thing I’ve ever read, the most ambitious thing I’ll ever make, and it seemed impossible, but it was too good not to give it a shot,” he told the packed crowd at AMC Lincoln Square 13’s IMAX theater.
He later continued, “I think, obviously, theaters need you. But it’s not your job to keep them open. It’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out.”
The extraterrestrial epic from Gosling — who starred as Ken in one of the highest-grossing films of all time in “Barbie” (a post-COVID Hollywood smash hit) — scored a massive opening weekend at the box office, grossing $140.9 million worldwide against a reportedly $200 million budget (after taxes).
The earnings marked Amazon MGM Studios’ highest-grossing box office debut ever.
“Project Hail Mary” also raked in $80.5 million in ticket sales in North America. That figure fell short of the record debut for a non-franchise, non-sequel movie in North America (set by “Oppenheimer” when it scored a $82.4 million opening weekend back in 2023).
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment
The film’s success arrives as Hollywood continues to try to climb back to pre-COVID heights like those in 2019, when the annual domestic box office gross last reached over $11 billion (that figure has yet to crack $9 billion in the years since, per BoxOfficeMojo).
“Project Hail Mary” is the latest film from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the minds behind hits like “The Lego Movie,” “21 Jump Street” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
The film — which includes performances from Oscar-nominated actor Sandra Hüller as well as James Ortiz’s work operating the beloved puppet for Rocky, an alien life form — boasts a 95% score with critics and a 96% score with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, as of Wednesday afternoon.
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