After an absolutely crushing run at the box office earlier this year, the best sci-fi movie of 2026 is continuing its dominance by completely taking over its new streaming home. 2026 has been a strange year for the sci-fi genre. Steven Spielberg’s (one of the kings of the genre) Disclosure Day drastically underperformed, as did Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Meanwhile, Backrooms (which blends horror with sci-fi) was a major success. But, at least until Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three drops later this year, there is one 2026 sci-fi movie that is undoubtedly the best so far, and it’s now on streaming.
Starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Project Hail Mary is now officially streaming on Prime Video. After debuting in theaters on Mar. 20, the movie was added to Prime Video on Jul. 3. After less than 24 hours on the platform, the film shot to the top of Prime’s weekly streaming charts. Project Hail Mary is currently the number one movie on Prime Video, swiftly knocking Hugh Jackman’s The Sheep Detectives down into second place. Meanwhile, the teen romance series, Your Fault: London, has been pushed to third place.
Project Hail Mary was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The film is adapted from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name. For those who don’t know, Weir penned The Martian, which was adapted to the big screen by Ridley Scott, and that film is regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of the century (with much of that success coming from Weir’s fantastic story). Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace (same initials, by the way), who mysteriously wakes up on a one-man flight into outer-space to save humanity. As his memory slowly returns, he uncovers the truth behind his mission, which also explains the mysterious alien being that stows away with him. The film also stars Sandra Huller, Milana Vayntrub, Lionel Boyce, James Ortiz, Ken Leung, and Liz Kingsman.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Has Been a Runaway Success
Amazon MGM Studios
It’s not just the streaming charts that Project Hail Mary has found success on; it’s also one of the biggest movies of the year so far. The film grossed a staggering $683 million worldwide. It’s the third-highest-grossing movie of 2026, beaten by Michael ($978 million) in second, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($1 billion) in first. The film also received tremendous reviews. Project Hail Mary holds a near-perfect 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, with an even stronger 95% audience rating.
Another Sci-Fi Giant Is on the Horizon in 2026
It’s hard to imagine the sci-fi genre getting much bigger than Project Hail Mary this year. But Denis Villeneuve makes his directorial return this year, bringing the fantastic Dune trilogy to a close. Dune: Part Three (which is expected to adapt most of Frank Herbert’s bizarre Dune: Messiah) releases in theaters on Dec. 18. Given that Part One grossed $410 million and Part Two earned $714 million, Dune: Part Three is expected to continue that trend. Timothée Chalamet will return as Paul Atreides, who now wages war on the entire galaxy in his bid to control/free the Fremen of Arrakis.
Release Date
March 15, 2026
Runtime
157 minutes
Director
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord