Hail Mary (noun): A plan or project with little chance of success, often used as a last resort.

The newest sci-fi film just dropped, and it is taking the world by storm. Starring Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace, Pascal Pictures and Lord Miller Production Company have produced a film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary, and it hit the theaters March 20th, 2026.

So, what does Project Hail Mary entail? The movie follows Dr. Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher and molecular biologist who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memories of what and why he arrived here. In lieu of avoiding spoilers for those who are planning on watching the movie, he is tasked with the monumental task of saving Earth. Throughout the adventure, it tells a tale of courage, bravery, and camaraderie – even in the dead of space.

The film had record breaking preview box office numbers, earning over 12 million dollars in Thursday night previews, according to deadline.com. This has already surpassed the preview box office numbers of Oppenheimer, and is predicted to hit over $65 million in its opening weekend. Not only that, but it has also hit the Letterboxd Top 100 movies the same day it was released.

So what exactly is all the hype for this movie? To start, Andy Weir’s sci-fi novels have been critically acclaimed as some of the best ever written. Weir worked in the STEM field prior to being an author, and this knowledge has carried far into his books. He writes these novels rooted in actual, real science, and throughout both his hit novels The Martian and Project Hail Mary, the main characters are using proper biology and science to accomplish the impossible.

Weir’s last adaptation, The Martian, starred Matt Damon, and won both Best Picture and Best Actor at the Golden Globes, along with a flurry of other smaller awards from other locations. But what makes these adaptations so good? Robert Edmund, Honors English teacher, hasn’t found a movie adaptation of a book up to his standards. In his words, “I hate them. They change too much from the book […] I cant recall one movie adaptation of a book that I really liked.” But there’s one caveat to that – Mr. Edmund has never read Andy Weir, and loved the Martian.

Seems like, for the opening day, Project Hail Mary has surpassed its expectations and stolen the hearts of sci-fi and Andy Weir fans across the world.

As the character Rocky might say: Project Hail Mary is truly“amaze amaze amaze!”