Project Hail Mary Tops Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean at the Worldwide Box Office

Here we go again – another week, another big sci-fi blockbuster smashing the box office. Project Hail Mary is still strutting its stuff in cinemas worldwide, and believe it or not, it keeps muscling its way up the all-time earnings chart, despite having just launched on digital. You might think its run would be winding down by now, but clearly, audiences still have a thing for nerdy astronauts and existential planetary doom with a side of alien friendship.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

To date, Project Hail Mary has banked a tidy $670,713,401 globally (cheers, Box Office Mojo). To put it mildly, that’s a very decent haul. No, it won’t ever take the crown from Avatar or anything by James Cameron (who could?), but it just leapfrogged the original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – that’s the one where Johnny Depp made eyeliner and general shenanigans fashionable again. The new tally officially leaves Pirates, with its $654 million and the whole 'savvy?' routine, in the rear view. Not too shabby for a story that’s more about orbital mechanics than undead pirates.

What’s Project Hail Mary About?

If you’ve not yet seen it (seriously, where have you been?), the film is based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel. The ever-watchable Ryan Gosling wakes up groggy and clueless somewhere deep in space, with no idea who he is. Piece by piece, he comes to realise he’s been sent to save humanity from a weird space fungus that’s literally eating the sun. Throw in some proper science, a bit of DIY engineering, and – in the film’s ace up its sleeve – a hilariously odd-couple friendship with an alien, and you’ve got the gist.

Box Office Triumphs: Pirates, Kryptonians, and Light Sabres

• Man of Steel (Henry Cavill, moody supes, lots of punching)
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (awkward romance, questionable CGI, sand complaints)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Depp’s star turn as Jack Sparrow, began a multi-billion-dollar franchise... and a lot of rope-swinging)

Project Hail Mary has now out-earned the lot of them. If you’re the sort who keeps score, it currently sits at number 170 on the all-time worldwide box office list. That might not sound that impressive next to the likes of end-times Marvel extravaganzas, but when you consider it outdistanced some real pop culture behemoths, it does turn heads – especially for a film that’s not based on capes, a legacy sequel, or a toy line.

Critical and Audience Buzz

It’s not just popcorn-munchers who are happy, either. Project Hail Mary is holding strong with a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, plus a 95% audience score, which is about as good as you can get short of bribing the critics. Reviews have called it “enthralling,” “emotionally punchy,” and the sort of smart, big-hearted sci-fi the genre needs more of. Frankly, I agree.

Why This Is a Big Deal

Let’s be honest: For years, Hollywood’s big sci-fi efforts have often felt like franchise filler between superhero spandex and the inevitable Disney reboot. The fact that an original(ish) space adventure is not only pulling in big numbers but surpassing a franchise as beloved as Pirates of the Caribbean – that’s reason to celebrate if you’re tired of capes, talking animals, or the latest Mega-Mario.

There’s your proof: audiences will still show up for high-concept, character-driven sci-fi if you actually put some thought and heart into it.

What’s Next? More Gosling in Space

Speaking of our cosmic leading man, Ryan Gosling isn’t done floating through the void just yet. Next year, he’s heading off for another round of interstellar travel, this time in a proper Star Wars epic. The film’s called Star Wars: Starfighter and, as you'd expect, details are tightly under wraps. What we do know: set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, Gosling will play a lone pilot who finds himself dragged into yet another galactic mess as the universe tries to pick up the pieces post-First Order. Directed by Shawn Levy, this one’s pegged to arrive in cinemas some time in 2027.

Meanwhile, if you missed Project Hail Mary in theatres, it’s out now digitally, so no excuses. And if you’re feeling nostalgic for some Depp-y pirate antics, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is always waiting for you over on Disney+.

Bottom line: It’s a good moment for fans of clever, ambitious science fiction. Let’s hope Hollywood takes the hint.