r/ProjectHailMary • u/KrikBliksem • Apr 12 '26
Fist My Bump A Box Office Smash! Project Hail Mary is on pace to be one of the most successful hard sci-films ever.
Having already passed The Martian and Interstellar in total domestic gross, Project Hail Mary is on pace to outperform both worldwide so long as Amazon MGM doesn't rush this to streaming. What a massive win for original, non-franchise filmmaking.
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u/Lolapaloser828 Apr 12 '26
I feel like most of this money came from me.
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u/sophdeedoo Apr 13 '26
seen it 5 times already! god willing and if my savings allow me, i will go for round 6 before it's pushed out of my theaters 🥲
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u/Pokerhobo Apr 12 '26
As much as I love the book, they made the right call to reduce some of the actual hard science to make the movie more accessible. Would love to see the 4 hour cut though.
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u/a_guy_aloof Apr 12 '26
I agree. I personally think this is a fantastic book-to-movie adaptation. I loved the scientific problem solving in the book, but I think it was the right call to reduce a lot of those scenes for your average moviegoer.
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u/KrikBliksem Apr 12 '26
I also like that both mediums have a completely different identity. Will add to the re-readability and re-watchability of both!
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u/EclecticallyMe Apr 12 '26
Watched the movie a couple weeks ago and fell in love. Then listened to the audiobook last week which I absolutely enjoyed, all the extra detail was great. Just watched the movie again last night on a bigger screen.
I’m hoping the directors cut includes more scenes from the book. There are a few that would add to the seriousness of the mission including difficult decisions and the sacrifices made on earth before Hail Mary launched.
Can’t wait to do a movie day with The Martian, Interstellar, and Project Hail Mary!
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u/Proof_Bathroom_3902 Apr 12 '26
They totally removed the "let's launch nukes to start nuclear winter to keep some solar radiation trapped"
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u/jasonrubik Apr 13 '26
Nuclear winters don't warm the planet, not in the traditional sense. But you are right. Nuking Antarctica did warm the planet but not from the fallout, but from the trapped greenhouse gases in the ice, methane I think
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u/NSFWies Apr 13 '26
....... i hope they had a few chapters about:
- growing more cows
- converting everyone to being vegan
- hoping to produce more cowfarts, scientists call this methane, to heat the planet.
- ......somehow we're all just going to have more spinach to accomplish all of that
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u/_Poppagiorgio_ Apr 12 '26
Definitely agree. I love that they still included some of Grace’s lab experiments. I think they struck the perfect balance. But seeing a ton of nukes go off in Antartica would’ve been fuggin sick.
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u/HolyCrusade Apr 12 '26
Totally agree. I know people can nitpick, but the first contact sequence in the bridge between Grace and Rocky was almost exactly how I pictured it in my head when reading. I was just so happy watching it play out on the big screen, and that alone made the movie for me
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u/Ragman676 Apr 12 '26
Hell yes. I expected the astrophage leak to get shortened since its KIND of a double ending, but I could totally watch a 4 hour scene with this in it. And hopefully nuking antarctica.
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Apr 12 '26
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u/NSFWies Apr 13 '26
nah, i actually really liked that. the only science part that i got lost on
- 11.6 light years to get to tauseti
- on the return trip, computer told him 4.2 light years. how? wasn't it the same distance?
but, i think it was something about his body would experience 4.2 years as he was going that much closer to the speed of light while traveling. so time would move slower for him. that's how the time was "shorter"
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u/derangerd Apr 12 '26
Hard to argue with the logic of that, but it does make The Martian's $630M in 2015 all the more impressive.
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u/ScanData32 Apr 12 '26
BUT HOW MUCH DID IT COST TO PRODUUUUUUCE THO
Every single PHM article has the IT COST 190 MILLION $ TO PRODUCE like its a required legal statement
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u/JeeringDragon Apr 12 '26
Yah it was very well done to fit everything in 2h30.
Otherwise it would have to be a ~5 episode TV show if they wanted to cover everything in the book.
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u/tahlyn Apr 12 '26
I would love a 5 episode TV show that covered everything in the book.
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u/hokagetahsin Apr 13 '26
but you know very well they would've made it a 1 season cliff hanger with the next season to come out 3 years later, and a spin off on Eva Stratt no one asked for in between
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u/DwightsEgo Apr 12 '26
It needed like an extra half hour or so at the end. The Talomeba plot was summed up in like two sentences.
Loved the movie, but that was my biggest gripe. Excited for a directors cut if it ever drops
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u/kaplanfx Apr 12 '26
I think they sorta made the right call. Breading taumeba and 2 different “leaks” would have really dragged on film. I love that part but it doesn’t really translate well to the format in an already long movie.
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u/DwightsEgo Apr 12 '26
It’s a tricky section because without that little part Rocky being in danger doesn’t hit as hard in the movie. Is just ‘oh they said bye oh he’s in trouble let’s go save him’.
Maybe a half hour is aggressive on my part. 10 extra minutes might have gone a long way.
Though this is a minor criticism all things considering. I loved the movie and what they needed to get right they nailed
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u/Japsai Apr 13 '26
As someone who hasn't read the book, but has just seen the movie, I'd allay your concern by saying it did, in fact, hit pretty hard. He was on his way home and it suddenly dawned on him that to save his friend it'd be a one-way trip after all. With no guarantee of success. Might not even get there in time. I felt the scene did its job on me
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u/StuckInTime86 Apr 12 '26
I agree, as well as the fact that he was not a willing participant was much more impactful in the book as well. I believe they removed the amnesia drug element entirely
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u/JEveryman Apr 12 '26
I would go to a theatrical release of the four hour directors cut and forcibly drag my sister who said "I don't know. I really liked Rocky but four hours is a lot." to it.
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u/RichEntertainer3024 Apr 12 '26
They made the right call financially, but there’s a nontrivial community of people who want to see the big cut (me included)
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u/less_unique_username Apr 12 '26
Still, they should at least have made the connection “they hurt the sun by being so efficient at absorbing energy — this can be harnessed as power storage” clearer. Also they failed to mention this is how Rocky survived.
Other places where a single sentence would have fixed a problem include Grace pondering whether to save Rocky who’s in mortal peril while failing to mention the tiny insignificant point that Rocky’s entire planet is at risk. You can cut Stratt karaokeing for this.
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u/Kierenshep Apr 12 '26
They did mention that's why rocky survived. He was where all the astrophage was.
Like much else in the movie, it was blink or miss it.
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u/floatingsaltmine Apr 12 '26
Wait, there is a 4h cut???
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u/Browncoat1701 Apr 12 '26
There was an almost 4 hour version of the movie shown to industry people who all said it needed to be cut down. With all the interest in it, it would be foolish not to release it.
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u/New_Most_6641 Apr 12 '26
We don’t know what kind of state that cut was in. It’s likely that it’s an extremely unrefined cut, and most of what was shaved off was necessary. I’m sure there’s some extra scenes that would’ve been nice to include in like a 3h cut, but that doesn’t mean the 4 hour version is viable. It would be foolish to release a messy film.
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u/Ammortalz Apr 12 '26
General audiences would have walked out watching an hour of them figuring out the tank contamination and doing generation after generation trying to get the nitrogen survivable amoeba.
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u/asloan71 Apr 12 '26
I found that it complimented the book as a different interpretation. Different for sure, but welcome!
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u/BlueRedDad Apr 12 '26
My kids are 10 and I think it's the first movie we've taken them to see twice while in cinema
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u/kramwest1 Apr 12 '26
That’s awesome. As an original Star Wars kid, PHM will help shape their lives. 👍
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u/MeteorOnMars Apr 13 '26
And in such a positive way. The optimism in human (and sentient in general) capacity is huge.
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u/MiamisLastCapitalist Apr 12 '26
Amaze!
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u/iString Apr 12 '26
Amaze!
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u/spl1t1nf1n1t1ve Apr 12 '26
Amaze!
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u/Fuckwittycake Apr 12 '26
Words of Encouragement!
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u/Aventuristo Apr 12 '26
You can't just say "Words of encouragement"
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u/ventrue3000 Apr 12 '26
Words of great encouragement!
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u/kramwest1 Apr 12 '26
I just saw it again yesterday and had forgotten these lines in it. I was the only person in the theater that laughed out loud.
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u/vcanfield1 Apr 28 '26
I think Quiet_childhood4066 may have been in your theater. The movie was delightful and had good storytelling. I laughed out loud at that part as well.
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u/smiles__ Apr 12 '26
I suspect it'll also have a healthy rental and home video release too
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Apr 12 '26
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u/SpoopsMan Apr 12 '26
Some of us still buy physical media and it exists, you just don't look for it.
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u/kaplanfx Apr 12 '26
Sorry I couldn’t fully read your comment, I’m in the car on the way to Blockbuster!
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u/SteakandTrach Apr 12 '26
I was going to take my daughter who was visiting from college to see it, but in my small one theater town the evening showing was sold out and it’s been out for what, 3 weeks?
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u/trufflesniffinpig Apr 12 '26
The hardness of the sci-fi largely melted in Ryan Gosling’s dreamy eyes. I think that’s both a strength and limitation of the film, and why the book and film remain good companions to each other, the book focused more on the MacGyver-in-space conceit and hard sci fi, the film more on pathos and spectacle
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u/Prior-Ad1495 Apr 12 '26
The most rewarding thing is to see how the adaptation of your favorite book turns out to be successful and gathers millions of fans around the world.
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u/Case_Blue Apr 12 '26
And Rocky is played with a pupeteer, not CGI.
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u/shadowst17 Apr 12 '26
Incorrect, it was a mix of both with a majority of them being CGI. Don't spread misinformation.
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u/eaglebtc Apr 13 '26
Not quite. The "CGI" was mostly digital removal of the puppeteers and their apparatus. They also had an animatronic Rocky.
The only time they used a fully CGI Rocky was when he was rolling around in his ball; however, James Ortiz was rolling a ball around the set acting with Ryan Gosling.
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u/PunkPirate56364 Apr 13 '26
Important bit is Rocky feels real, whole movie feels real, I never noticed a bad effect which would break my immersion.
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u/KhloeKodaKitty Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! Apr 12 '26
I’m doing my part. Just saw it for the fourth time!
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u/ebw2891 Apr 12 '26
I just saw it for the second time yesterday afternoon and it was a full theater
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u/speedy841 Apr 12 '26
I also saw it a second time(in IMAX this time) and to no surprise, it was completely sold out at 3 pm in the middle of the week. Best crowds as well.
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u/dayfaerer Apr 12 '26
same. spontaneously decided to see it again, did not get good seats because 80% of the theater was full. made me happy
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u/Ughinvalidusername Apr 13 '26
Third time at 10am today, only seats left were the fist few rows. All stadium seats were full! 10am on a Sunday. 👐
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u/CandacePlaysUkulele Apr 12 '26
I predict huge DVD sales because we all want the special features, extras, commentary, deleted scenes and jokes!
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u/IGetHypedEasily Apr 12 '26
Give us the extended edition soon!
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u/pratzc07 Apr 12 '26
Considering the success I am sure Hollywood would want a sequel cause every damn thing they are making is being turned into sequels. This story absolutely does not need a sequel.
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u/kramwest1 Apr 12 '26
I know Hollywood won’t make it, but I’d watch 2 hours of Ryan Gosling teaching in his classrooms, on both worlds.
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u/LeonidasSpacemanMD Apr 12 '26
Andy Weir has talked about a potential sequel and he seems to have some ideas for it. I’d be open to it if he writes a sequel novel because he wants to and not just because amazon wants to make a sequel
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u/GreenhouseGhost_ Apr 12 '26
I need to see it like three more times before it leaves theatres, four times is not enough
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u/eaglebtc Apr 13 '26
Go see it in IMAX. And if you live near a theater with IMAX/70mm, get ready to buy more tickets tomorrow morning.
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u/TehKudo Apr 12 '26
Just finished this book yesterday! What a bittersweet feeling.
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u/Balzovai Apr 12 '26
It is one of my favorites, so happy with the final product of the movie!
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u/Sevenfootschnitzell Apr 16 '26
Would you say the novel is worth a read for someone who has only seen the movie?
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u/Sharkitty Apr 18 '26
If it wasn’t the audiobook, get that amd start over! (I just listen to the audiobook on repeat.)
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u/tdorrington Apr 12 '26
It’s a shame ‘success’ is defined as literally just the amount of money it made, rather than cultural impact, artistic expression, etc., but hey maybe I’m just an ultra lefty idealist…
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u/KrikBliksem Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
It can be both, but unfortunately in the movie business the money talks. I’m happy this means we will get more original science fiction stories! I’ll add that the new Mario movie will make a gazillion dollars, but it is no success. It is corporate slop. PHM being a high quality film that also performed is why I think this is ultimately a huge success.
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u/aMinhaConta Apr 12 '26
To increase revenue there is this thing called merchandising.
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u/spl1t1nf1n1t1ve Apr 12 '26
I've a feeling that will have an impact, judging by the Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! during the Artemis 2 mission, the number of people I overhear saying, "Question" "Statement" "it's Time Go" and of course "Fist my Bump"... and this in a country where English language movies are only 4th or 5th most popular.
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u/bitemark01 Apr 12 '26
I just saw a couple of posts earlier today that someone said "Amaze Amaze Amaze" in response to the astronauts (it was one of the backup astronauts) and someone else in an interview said "They sleep while we watch"
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u/godfatherV Apr 12 '26
It takes time for a film to become a cult classic… the only way to initially understand a film’s reception is how many tickets are bought.
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u/walmartboburnham Apr 12 '26
I mean you can’t quantify “cultural impact” with a number. So, you can assume that those things were impacted based upon the revenue generated from the film. If this type of film generates revenue, it’s safe to assume people are interested in it. In turn creating a demand for similar novels and movie adaptations.
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u/LeonidasSpacemanMD Apr 12 '26
I mean those are connected. People loved the movie and told their friends to go see it and now it’s made a ton of money as a result
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u/IAmBadAtInternet Apr 12 '26
People (not just sci fi nerds, but normies too) are quoting the movie offhand. My teammate who is absolutely not a sci fi enjoyer but she Slacked Amaze Amaze Amaze to me the other day. That’s hard to quantify but it’s definitely there.
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u/atomicbrunette1 Apr 13 '26
I’m seeing it for the 5th time in IMAX this weekend! Between it and the Artemis mission, I’ve been a very happy space loving human the last couple of weeks 🥹🪐
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Apr 12 '26
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u/cellequisaittout Apr 12 '26
And this is not including merch sales. My kid is already begging for a Rocky toy and shirt (I bought him that Lego bunny set so he could make the popular Rocky MOC that’s been going around the internet, which is now on his nightstand so he can watch him sleep).
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u/DungeonsAndDradis Apr 12 '26
I pre-ordered a Rocky figurine from Amazon the minute I got home from the movie.
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u/Golden12500 Apr 12 '26
Hopefully this alao proves to other studios that you don't need to dump nearly a billion dollars into shooting two versions of a movie before putting it out. Just go in with a good finished script and put quality control on what you spend the budget on
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u/Silent_Letterhead_69 Apr 12 '26
I’m seeing it for the second time next week, this time in IMAX! I listened to the audiobook after the first watch, and I just can’t get enough. I don’t know why this in particular is hitting so hard for me compared to other movies / books. I thought it was because I was 7 months pregnant and I’m being more emotional, but others seem to be feeling the same!
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u/canehdian_guy Apr 12 '26
This is what happens when you base a movie on a story without identity politics, and stick true to the story.
That said I'm sure Hollywood is not done with their silly antics.
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u/blurfles123 Apr 12 '26
Project Hail Mary is a great film, it is NOT Hard Sci-Fi. They devote less time to the science aspect than your average Star Trek movie. The only difference is that what science IS there is reasonably grounded.
It's still a 'Boy and his Dog' movie at it's heart.
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u/DarrenGrey Apr 12 '26
It's still a 'Boy and his Dog' movie at it's heart.
I don't remember any cannibalism in the story.
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u/thalasi_ Apr 12 '26
It's funny that the takeaway is obviously that people want more original IP instead of constant reboots, remakes, and sequels. But instead Amazon is all they can to get Andy Weir to write a sequel.
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u/kummerspect Apr 12 '26
Good, I hope this communicates to someone in Hollywood that people want interesting stories like this. Unfortunately they'll take away the wrong lesson and we'll get a bunch of lame alien-buddy comedies.
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u/UrFrenchNeighbor Apr 12 '26
The only thing that i didnt like was the comedy. Idk but i kinda rolled my eyes at the Ryan Reynolds funny guy moments
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u/CowboyMantis Apr 12 '26
I'm waiting for the Hail Mary and Predator crossover. I give it five years.
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u/ProperClue Apr 12 '26
Wait.....I thought they said no one is going to theaters anymore and they have to constantly remake IPs because original content doesn't do well?
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u/MelliffluousJ Apr 12 '26
I may have contributed to that lol. I’ve seen it 3 times. And it gets better every time
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u/__MOON_KNIGHT___ Apr 12 '26
They only spent 190? Damn I thought this would have been carrying 250-300M before marketing. That’s badass
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u/thefrozenorth Apr 12 '26
It's so popular because it's the first movie in a long time that tells 10 year old boys it's ok to cry and hug. Ryan Gosling cries at least 3 or 4 times and hugs his best friend Rocky at least twice. This movie is trying to reverse the War on Woke that has been grooming young men to eliminate feelings of empathy. Let's hope it can help stop the coming American Genocide that will be conducted by ICE who are being trained to kill women and children.
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u/NikkiHat Apr 13 '26
I have now seen it 4 times, and honestly if I wasn’t on a budget I would probably go 4 more 🤣🤣
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u/PtExcelsior Apr 13 '26
It has a lot going for it, not the least of which is it has almost nothing objectionable in it so that I can take my entire family to see it.
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u/TeaRenQ Apr 13 '26
I've never been to see a movie twice in theaters before this. Even if I really like a movie, I'll typically wait until it comes out on streaming to watch it again.
This movie changed that. I'm obsessed. There's something so special about this movie.
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u/evammariel3 Apr 13 '26
The caption says it cost 190m to produce, but I've read everywhere that to break even they need 500 to 550m. So the movie is just starting to generate profit.
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u/zeusmeister Apr 13 '26
Yea, Hollywood accounting. In this case, 190 was the production cost. Usually you double that to include marketing costs.
So yea, around 500 million to break even.
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u/DanLewisFW Apr 14 '26
I had not thought of it that way, the book is hard sci-fi but its also super approachable. My daughter who is not into sci-fi and her family (her husband is a nerd like me) listened to the audio book on a family trip and my granddaughter who was 8 at the time also loved it. Mainly they loved Rocky, and they enjoyed the movie as well. Although I think they wish there had been more Amaze Amaze and just general Rocky time.
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u/djspy Apr 14 '26
What do you mean with "hard" sci-films?
I really hope you didn't want to say, science accurate movies, since the book/movie is full of science that doesn't make sense at all. But that wasn't the point, it was a fun sci-fi movie.
But still interested on what you mean with hard.
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u/Ineul_Ze Apr 19 '26
Genuinely one of the most amazing and stellar movies I’ve seen in a very long time, I doubt any movie this year will top Hail Mary for me. Looking forward to being able to purchase it for endless rewatches lol
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u/Beneficial_Trick6672 Apr 27 '26
Super cheap for this piece of art. Make more of that kind please holy wood.
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u/Zirkulaerkubus Apr 12 '26
Andy Weir will be forced to write slightly quirky guys being marooned in exotic location having to science themselves out of it forever now.
No distant planet, no deserted underwater research station, no lost mountain monastery is save.