'Project Hail Mary' Maintains Strong Second Weekend at Box Office

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The sci-fi adventure film 'Project Hail Mary' starring Ryan Gosling held strong in its second weekend, earning $54.5 million and continuing its successful run. Meanwhile, new horror releases like 'They Will Kill You' and 'Forbidden Fruits' had disappointing debuts, suggesting the genre may be reaching a saturation point in theaters.

Why it matters

The continued success of 'Project Hail Mary' demonstrates the film's broad appeal and long-term box office potential, while the struggles of new horror releases highlight the challenges the genre faces as it becomes oversaturated in the market. This could impact programming decisions and investment in future horror projects.

The details

In its second weekend, 'Project Hail Mary' dipped only 32% from its opening, grossing $54.5 million. This strong hold was better than that of 'Oppenheimer,' another non-franchise hit from earlier this year. 'Project Hail Mary' has now earned $300.8 million worldwide in two weeks. Meanwhile, the weekend's top new release, the horror film 'They Will Kill You,' debuted with a disappointing $5 million. Another new horror-comedy, 'Forbidden Fruits,' opened to just $1.2 million. Industry analyst David A. Gross noted that there has been a new horror film released every weekend for the last 14 weeks, suggesting the genre may be approaching oversaturation.

• On March 30, 2026, 'Project Hail Mary' grossed $54.5 million in its second weekend.
• On March 30, 2026, the new horror film 'They Will Kill You' debuted with $5 million.
• On March 30, 2026, the new horror-comedy 'Forbidden Fruits' opened with $1.2 million.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Next weekend, 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' is expected to have the biggest opening of 2026, which could pose a challenge for the continued success of 'Project Hail Mary'.