New Ryan Gosling flick Project Hail Mary has delivered 297,000 admissions and earned $6.89 million over its Thursday to Sunday opening weekend, making it the biggest non-franchise opening in Australian cinemas since Oppenheimer.
The film attracted a 66 per cent male skew, with 59 per cent of admissions falling within the older, more affluent P25–54 demographic.
In Project Hail Mary, Gosling is a science teacher tasked with a critical mission in outer space. The film is adapted from the novel by Andy Weir.
Shot for IMAX, Project Hail Mary delivers a visually breathtaking experience, with its heartfelt sci-fi story resonating strongly with both audiences and critics, earning a 95 per cent critics’ score and 96 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Val Morgan Cinema managing director Guy Burbidge said: “The success of Project Hail Mary is no surprise. Led by Ryan Gosling’s global appeal and charisma, and amplified by the scale and spectacle of IMAX, the film is delivering exactly what audiences are seeking from major event releases.”
Bollywood action film Dhurandhar: The Revenge also had a record opening weekend, delivering 174,000 admissions. This sets a new benchmark in Australia for the biggest opening for an Indian film, surpassing 2024’s Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2, which previously held the record with 122,000 admissions.
“The strength of the current slate highlights how cinema continues to attract broad audiences through the depth and breadth of content, with Dhurandhar: The Revenge underscoring the growing demand for international storytelling,” Burbidge added.
“Its record-breaking performance reflects Australia’s appetite for global content, offering brands a powerful way to connect with culturally and linguistically diverse audiences through the cinema experience.”
Looking ahead, audiences can expect Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, set to be the first film shot entirely on IMAX cameras, Greta Gerwig’s Narnia, debuting exclusively in IMAX and Dune: Part Three, the epic conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy.
