On March 20th, 2026, the movie Project Hail Mary released. In its first two weeks, it has already become Amazon MGM’s highest grossing movie ever, bringing in over $300 million dollars worldwide. It has cemented itself as one of Ryan Gosling’s biggest hits, only below La La Land and Barbie, and it still has more money to make. The movie has received widespread acclaim, scoring a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and gaining many fans. In this movie, which is based on a novel of the same name, Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace (funny how they have the same initials), a man who wakes up on a spaceship and has no idea who he is. As he remembers more about his past, he comes to find out that he must save the world, but he might not have to do it alone.
One of the movie’s fans is Christopher Ricker, a sophomore here at Greenwood. Ricker commented, “I’d say I really liked the movie. Honestly, I think it’s in my top ten; it was a really good movie, I actually really enjoyed it. The plot of the movie was just very interesting and pulled people in.” Ricker saw the movie in theaters on March 27th, a week after the release of the movie. In the movie’s second weekend of release, it netted $53 million dollars, only a minimal drop from the first weekend. This is a good sign for the movie, solidifying its success by showing that it is one that will stick around. “It seems like the type of movie that would just push out and make money,” added Ricker, “because your kids can see it and enjoy it and you can see it and enjoy it.”
The success of Project Hail Mary can likely be at least partially attributed to Ryan Gosling. “He’s like the poster face of the movie,” noted Ricker, “and he’s a really good actor, and I feel like he’s a known actor.” Ryan Gosling really began to make his appearance in TV and films in the mid-to-late 90s, but has only fairly recently (as in the 2010s and 2020s) made a big name for himself as a major actor. Ricker said, “I’ve seen him play some pretty different roles. His variety in acting is pretty good. He’s honestly an amazing actor, and I did not think he’d be that good of an actor.¨ Though, at the same time, when asked if Ryan Gosling would entice him to watch a movie, Ricker wanted to make the distinction that the content of the movie is important: “If the plot’s good and there’s Ryan Gosling, I would want to watch it more than if the plot was just good.”
Ryan Gosling’s career has certainly been on the upswing, further proven by the performance and widespread appreciation of Project Hail Mary. He already has a major film appearance, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Starfighter, planned for next year. Upon being questioned on whether he liked Ryan Gosling as a whole, Ricker proclaimed, “Yeah. One, he’s hot. Two, he’s a good actor.”
