On the one hand, Ridley Scott had to contend with the inevitable defeat of The Martian at the hands of the recent blockbuster Project Hail Mary. On the other, he proved that he remains in a league of his own, especially as far as the sci-fi genre is concerned, with the continued success of his 1982 classic on streaming. Scott broke out with the acclaimed sci-fi horror film Alien, and followed it up with a sci-fi noir film starring Harrison Ford. The second film recently witnessed a viewership spike along with a host of other movies directed by Scott, from the sci-fi sequel Alien: Covenant to the biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings.
On its 20th day of release, Project Hail Mary overtook the $228 million lifetime domestic box office haul of The Martian — both films are based on bestselling books by Andy Weir, and are scripted by Drew Goddard. The Martian was released in 2015 to instant critical and commercial success. In addition to grossing approximately $630 million worldwide, the movie earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. However, Scott’s 1982 movie wasn’t an instant hit. In fact, it underperformed at the box office and rose to prominence (after several different re-edits and cuts) only years after its theatrical run.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Ridley Scott and Ryan Gosling Have Collaborated In the Past
It is now considered a masterpiece, with a “Certified Fresh” 89% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. We’re talking, of course, about Blade Runner. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus for the movie reads, “Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott’s mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece.” According to FlixPatrol, Blade Runner was among the most-watched movies on the domestic iTunes chart this week, when the leaderboard was topped by the twisty thriller The Housemaid. A legacy sequel to Scott’s classic, titled Blade Runner 2049 and directed by Denis Villeneuve, was released to critical acclaim and box-office disappointment in 2017. Incidentally, the sequel starred Ryan Gosling in the lead role alongside a returning Ford. Gosling also happens to be the star of Project Hail Mary, which has now overtaken The Martian domestically.
Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
