After defying the odds in its box-office run, the year’s biggest sci-fi movie has finally been released on Prime Video. As expected, it jumped straight to the number one spot on the streamer’s viewership charts, both domestically and worldwide. The film was released theatrically by Amazon MGM Studios, which extended its run after it emerged as a massive word-of-mouth sensation. Essentially a streaming release like F1 last year, the movie in question ended up outgrossing Brad Pitt‘s blockbuster sports drama at the box office. It ultimately generated around $680 million worldwide against a reported budget of $200 million, and is among the year’s highest-grossing hits.
By comparison, F1 made approximately $630 million worldwide. The 2026 sci-fi hit was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who hadn’t helmed a movie in over a decade. They were unceremoniously removed from Solo: A Star Wars Story after working on it for months, and were replaced by Ron Howard. Lord and Miller went on to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar for producing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was followed by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The duo started out in animation, but transitioned to live-action with 21 Jump Street and its sequel, 22 Jump Street. The sci-fi movie was their biggest project yet and it lived up to expectations.
The Biggest Sci-Fi Movie of 2026 Is Already an Oscar Favorite
We’re talking, of course, about Project Hail Mary. Starring Ryan Gosling and based on the bestseller by Andy Weir, the movie was released to near-unanimous praise in March. The film holds a “Certified Fresh” 94% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 95% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “A visually dazzling space odyssey that’s carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart.” With reviews like this, Project Hail Mary is already being talked about as a major Oscars contender. It debuted on streaming only this week, and according to FlixPatrol, is already the number one title on Prime Video. Project Hail Mary unseated Prime Video’s holdover hit, The Sheep Detectives, as well as Jack Ryan: Ghost War. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
-
March 15, 2026
- Runtime
-
157 minutes
- Director
-
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord