Ryan Gosling says 'It’s not moviegoers’ job to keep theaters open' amid Project Hail Mary's success

Ryan Gosling. Pic/AFP

Hollywood star Ryan Gosling is pointing guns at Hollywood and its power circles. The actor made a surprise appearance at a New York movie theatre on the opening night of his latest big-screen blockbuster, Project Hail Mary.

Welcoming a packed audience, the actor flipped the script on who is responsible for keeping cinemas afloat amid the rise of streaming and falling box office numbers, reports ‘Variety'.

"Six years ago, I got the manuscript", he said, referring to Project Hail Mary. (It's) the most ambitious thing I'll ever make, it seemed impossible. It was too good not to give it a shot. Six years later, we did it. Here we are, we're all back in theaters. It's not your job to keep them open, it's our job to make things that make it worth you coming out".

Ryan Gosling's parting words were, "You're about to go to another galaxy, make an alien best friend and save the stars. This movie is for you. Enjoy the trip".

As per ‘Variety', Hollywood has been ringing the alarm bell on the health of movie theaters since the pandemic, as the industry has yet to climb back to the pre-COVID peak of an USD 11 billion annual domestic box office gross. Still, Gosling knows a thing or two about getting butts back in seats: He starred as Ken in Barbie, a blockbuster phenomenon and the highest-grossing film of 2023.

Project Hail Mary shattered box office expectations, rocketing to USD 140.9 million at the global box office in its opening weekend. The haul makes the sci-fi epic the largest debut of 2026 so far (ahead of Scream 7 with a USD 97.2 million globally) and the biggest start ever for Amazon MGM. The studio's previous record was Creed 3 with USD 100.4 million.

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