Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail MaryImage via Amazon MGM
It took just 20 days for Project Hail Mary to overtake its spiritual precursor at the domestic box office. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in their long-awaited return to feature filmmaking, the sci-fi epic stars Ryan Gosling as a schoolteacher who is sent on an intergalactic mission to save Earth. The film opened to critical acclaim three weeks ago and has been dominating the global box office ever since, despite recent competition from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The film also features Sandra Hüller, who plays the leader of a clandestine global operation to save humankind from extinction. The movie is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Andy Weir.
The author also wrote the source novel for Ridley Scott‘s The Martian, starring Matt Damon. Released in 2015, The Martian was a critical and commercial hit, grossing around $630 million worldwide against a reported budget of approximately $110 million. It holds a “Certified Fresh” 92% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated in the Best Picture and Best Actor categories at the Oscars, among others. The Martian‘s screenplay was written by Drew Goddard, who earned an Oscar nod for his work as well. He returned to write the script for Project Hail Mary, which is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 94% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Has a Couple of Sci-Fi Behemoths Ahead of It
On its fourth Thursday in theaters, Project Hail Mary finally overtook the $228 million lifetime domestic haul of The Martian; the movie is projected to gross approximately $320 million in its domestic run. It cost a reported $200 million to produce, which means that it has already hit its break-even point with a $430 million running global haul. As we speak, Project Hail Mary is overtaking Gosling’s modern classic La La Land to become the second-biggest hit of his career behind Barbie. This weekend, the movie should be able to hit the coveted $500 million mark worldwide as it charges toward a projected global haul of around $800 million. In a few weeks, Project Hail Mary will be in direct competition with Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar and Inception. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
March 15, 2026
Runtime
157 minutes
Director
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
Writers
Drew Goddard, Andy Weir
Producers
Aditya Sood, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Rachel O’Connor, Ryan Gosling
