‘Project Hail Mary’ flies to $54.5 million second weekend, horror reaches a saturation point
WTOP • • entertainment
Key Points:
- "Project Hail Mary," directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and starring Ryan Gosling, earned $54.5 million domestically in its second weekend, marking only a 32% drop and grossing $300.8 million worldwide in two weeks.
- The film, with a production budget near $200 million, benefited from minimal new competition and exclusive access to premium format screens, outperforming the second weekend hold of "Oppenheimer."
- New release "They Will Kill You," a Warner Bros. horror film starring Zazie Beetz, debuted with a modest $5 million, reflecting potential market saturation in the horror genre after 14 consecutive weekends of new horror releases.
- Despite the crowded horror slate, the genre is projected to generate about $2.1 billion in North American box office revenue in 2026, down from $2.75 billion last year, while family movies like Pixar's "Hoppers" continue to perform strongly.
- Upcoming competition includes Universal's "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," expected to have the biggest opening of 2026, challenging current box office leaders.
