March 20 Box Office Preview: 'Project Hail Mary' Set for Strong Opening Amid Spring Break
The upcoming March 20 weekend is shaping up for a significant box office battle, with a highly anticipated sci-fi epic and a horror sequel hitting theaters during a peak spring break period.
'Project Hail Mary' Aims High with Ryan Gosling
Amazon MGM Studios' production, Project Hail Mary, is poised for a substantial debut.
The film is projected for a potential $50 million domestic opening on March 20.
Starring Ryan Gosling as a high school science teacher in space, the movie is garnering strong interest across both male and female demographics. Initial tracking figures are reported to be ahead of previous successful films such as Oppenheimer, F1, and Weapons at similar stages.
Directed by the acclaimed duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and produced by Amy Pascal, Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir's 2021 bestselling novel. Weir is also the author of The Martian, which was adapted into a 2015 film that opened to $54.3 million and went on to gross $630.6 million worldwide. With a 2-hour, 36-minute runtime, Project Hail Mary recently received positive reception at a press screening, fueling anticipation for its release.
'Ready or Not 2: Here I Come' Returns for More Horror
Also opening on March 20 is Searchlight’s horror sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. From filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet (known as Radio Silence), the film currently has an outlook of $11 million+.
The sequel to the popular 2019 horror film is scheduled for its world premiere at SXSW in Austin on March 13. Searchlight has been holding early screenings to generate positive word-of-mouth. Samara Weaving returns as Grace, who faces a new survival game against an Illuminati-like group. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Nestor Carbonell, Shawn Hatosy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, and Kathryn Newton. The first Ready or Not film debuted with $8 million in August 2019 and achieved $57.1 million globally against a modest $6 million production budget.
Spring Break Boost for March Releases
The March 20 release date falls during a prime spring break weekend.
According to Comscore, 38% of K-12 schools and 37% of colleges will be on break, potentially providing a significant boost to box office numbers for both films.