2026's best sci-fi movie turns its streaming debut into a victory lap

Look, you don’t often see a sci-fi film land a knockout blow at the box office and then immediately repeat the act on streaming – but 2026 keeps defying expectations. Project Hail Mary, easily the year’s stand-out sci-fi flick (at least until Denis Villeneuve comes along for his routine genre demolition), is now available on Prime Video and, no surprise here, it’s absolutely smothered the competition.

Sci-Fi in 2026: Swings and Misses (And One Enormous Hit)

Let’s be honest, it’s been a weird year for sci-fi. Steven Spielberg – the bloke who more or less invents half of what we’d call ‘proper cinema’ – turned up with Disclosure Day, and somehow managed to trip over his own feet at the box office. Then there was Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which should, on paper, be an easy win for Disney, but that one sank too. Everything felt off. At least there was Backrooms – that thing did numbers, mixing horror and sci-fi in a way that actually paid off. Still, for anyone after big-concept, space-can-save-us-all cinema, Project Hail Mary was the main event. And with Dune: Part Three loitering on the horizon, there’s been no shortage of anticipation.

Project Hail Mary Blasts Off on Prime Video

Now, onto the streaming performance: Project Hail Mary, directed by the duo behind Into the Spider-Verse (Phil Lord and Chris Miller, both with more style than sense, but it works), officially hit Prime Video on 3 July after premiering in cinemas back on 20 March. And within hours, it was sitting smugly at the top of Prime’s weekly charts.

The meteoric rise meant Hugh Jackman’s sort-of-weird The Sheep Detectives (don’t ask me, I didn’t greenlight it) got knocked to second place, while Your Fault: London (the teen romance drama that refuses to die) shuffled further down. The appetite for space survival clearly hasn’t waned.

Space Heroics and Big Numbers

The hype was always going to be huge given the source material. For those out of the loop, Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s novel – the same Andy Weir who wrote The Martian (the Ridley Scott adaptation genuinely is as good as everyone says). This time out, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace (yes, initials matched for some reason), who wakes up mid-flight with no memory and the small matter of saving humanity ahead of him. Slow memory recovery, alien intrigue, and ‘what the hell is going on’ energy follow – proper sci-fi fare.

Supporting cast is strong, featuring Sandra Huller, Milana Vayntrub, Lionel Boyce, James Ortiz, Ken Leung, and Liz Kingsman.

• Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace (amnesiac teacher-turned-astronaut / reluctant hero)
• Sandra Huller as Eva Stratt (shadowy government fixer type)
• Milana Vayntrub, Lionel Boyce, James Ortiz, Ken Leung, Liz Kingsman as various mission control and science bods

The film was a monster at the box office too. Pulled in $683 million globally, making it the year’s third-highest earner so far. Only Michael ($978 million) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (which banked a ridiculous $1 billion) did better.

Critics loved it; Rotten Tomatoes has Project Hail Mary sitting at a 94% score, and audiences seem even more impressed, giving it a 95% approval. So, there’s not much daylight between the hardcore reviewers and everyone else – that almost never happens with sci-fi.

Quote Worth Remembering

'Project Hail Mary is the number one movie on Prime Video, swiftly knocking Hugh Jackman’s The Sheep Detectives down into second place.'

Brace Yourself: Dune Is Next

But before anyone declares Project Hail Mary the undisputed 2026 champ, remember: Denis Villeneuve’s about to land the final part of his Dune trilogy. The new one, Dune: Part Three, hits cinemas on 18 December and is expected to adapt the majority of Frank Herbert’s wonderfully unhinged Dune: Messiah. Don’t forget: Part One made $410 million, Part Two strolled to $714 million, so unless everyone suddenly gives up on sand, spice and Timothée Chalamet, Part Three could be another monster.

Yes, Chalamet’s back as Paul Atreides, now fighting the whole galaxy as he tries to decide if he fancies being a saviour or a despot this week. Good luck to him.