27 March,2026 03:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Project Hail Mary
Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2 has emerged as a box office juggernaut. The film has minted over Rs 1000 crore within seven days of release, beating the record of Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2. With Dhurandhar 2 arriving in theatres, several films have pushed their release dates to avert a clash. Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary, touted to be the biggest Hollywood film of 2026, has also faced the brunt of Dhurandhar 2 mania.
The Hollywood sci-fi drama was not allotted a single IMAX screen in India. On the day of its India release, Project Hail Mary had limited IMAX shows. Even when the number of shows was increased, they were immediately sold out, as the total number of shows remained low.
Some users on X were angry that the new shows were announced after they had already booked IMAX tickets, as they didn't want to miss Ryan Gosling's film. Many of these tickets were non-refundable, leading to further outrage. A cinema fan responded to the announcement and wrote, "After fans had already swamped the bookings and packed all shows." He shared a GIF that said, "What took you so long?"
Preetham Daniel responded, "Hey Dev, we are not sitting around wasting time. We are doing our job and doing the best we can. If there is a delay, then there are reasons that took time to resolve, and we can't tell you what happened (as much as you think you have the right to know), so stop pretending to be an authority and questioning us. We appreciate you as an audience, and we are working round the clock to get our audience the experience they need, but don't think I'm here to address your tantrums!"
Preetham's response has led to more outrage among fans who were waiting for IMAX shows.
Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir (author of The Martian), the film follows Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling), a lone astronaut who wakes up aboard a mysterious spacecraft with no memory of who he is or the mission that brought him there. The much-awaited film was released in theatres on March 26.
