LOS ANGELES  –   Ryan Gosling’s sci-fi space adventure Project Hail Mary has rocketed to $140.9 million (£122m) at the global box office, making it the biggest debut of the year so far. The Canadian actor stars in the movie as a science teacher tasked with saving the world from extinction. The new release zoomed past Scream 7, this year’s previous biggest seller overall and also overtook Creed III in having the fastest start for a production by Amazon MGM Studios. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who also made 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie together, Project Hail Mary follows a former molecular biologist who unwittingly embarks on an important intergalactic mission. The story is adapted from the best-selling novel by author Andy Weir, whose other book The Martian provided the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s 2015 movie starring Matt Damon, which was nominated for seven Oscars. In a statement seen by Variety, Amazon MGM’s distribution boss Kevin Wilson said the novel had given them “a powerful foundation” before the directors “created a visually stunning, heart-gripping film”. He called Barbie and La La Land actor Gosling “a singular star that has the massive global appeal and charisma to anchor a story like this”.Speaking to BBC News’s Annabel Rackham about the $200m-budgeted project, lead actor and producer Gosling explained the importance of bringing humour to his latest sci-fi adventure. “That’s part of the reason why I wanted to produce [this film], because I felt like I needed to create an environment where these things could co-exist”, he said.

Project Hail Mary ranks as the third-biggest non-sequel and non-franchise film to open above $50m overseas since the Covid pandemic, along with Oppenheimer and F1: The Movie. Five years after it acquired MGM for $8.45bn, Amazon now looks to have its first big commercial hit on hands – as it vies for position with the other major streamers. BBC Culture film reviewer Nicolas Barber described the space epic as “a mind-stretching sci-fi” that manages to be “zippily entertaining” throughout, while Empire called it “witty, wise and preposterously entertaining”.

But Variety said it was too “generic” and “incredibly derivative of movies like Interstellar”, while The Guardian noted there are “moments of dullness and puppyish silliness” but that “Gosling is an effortlessly charming screen player” who keeps the film “watchable”.

Amazon MGM’s other recent efforts have included Melania, about the US First Lady, and the R-rated thriller Crime 101, with the forthcoming Masters of the Universe set for release in June.