Ryan Gosling’s upcoming science fiction movie Project Hail Mary could redeem one of the actor’s recent box office disappointments. Anticipation is high for Project Hail Mary, which will release in theaters on March 20, 2026, since it is based on an acclaimed novel by Andy Weir and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the visionaries behind the Spider-Verse movies.

The reception to the trailer for Project Hail Mary proves that people are very interested in the movie. Not long after its release, the trailer for Project Hail Mary broke a record and became the most viewed trailer for an original movie ever. According to a July 9 update from Lord, over 400 million people have watched the trailer for the sci-fi movie.

This record suggests that Project Hail Mary could be a major box office success, even though its theatrical release is still eight months away. Based on this trailer, the sci-fi film could also end up being one of Ryan Gosling’s best movies. The success of Project Hail Mary would be amazing, especially after Gosling’s 2024 action/comedy movie The Fall Guy underperformed at the box office.

Project Hail Mary Can Give Ryan Gosling The Box Office Hit He Deserved With The Fall Guy

Despite The Fall Guy Underperforming, Gosling Is Still A Major Star

Of course, it needs to be noted that trailer views don’t always equal box office success. However, Project Hail Mary breaking this record proves that people are very interested in Gosling’s upcoming sci-fi movie and could flock to theaters to see it. This is great news for the actor, since his last movie, The Fall Guy, was a box office disappointment.

In The Fall Guy, Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a stuntman who must search for the prized star of a movie studio after he goes missing. However, while looking for the arrogant actor, Colt gets involved in a sinister plot that puts his life in danger. The Fall Guy is a fun action/comedy movie, but unfortunately didn’t find an audience in theaters.

Throughout its theatrical run, The Fall Guy grossed just $181 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated budget of $130 million (via Box Office Mojo). Since a movie usually needs to earn two and a half times its budget to be profitable, The Fall Guy definitely wasn’t a major financial success. This was honestly surprising, since it has a great cast and a proven director.

The Fall Guy was directed by David Leitch, who has helmed successful movies like ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Bullet Train. Additionally, it was Gosling’s first movie after Barbie, which was a mᴀssive commercial success for him and even earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.

However, despite all these factors that seemed like they might work in the movie’s favor, The Fall Guy still underperformed. Since Project Hail Mary will be Gosling’s first time headlining a major tentpole movie again after the failure of The Fall Guy, I hope it works out much better for him.