Strong word-of-mouth fuels 'Project Hail Mary' IMAX success

Project Hail Mary, a new Hollywood sci-fi epic about an unlikely friendship between a scientist and an alien in deep space, delivered a record-breaking opening weekend in the country, according to IMAX China.

Released in local theaters on Friday, the film earned 16.89 million yuan ($2.44 million) from IMAX screenings over the weekend, accounting for 34 percent of the film's nationwide gross on just 1 percent of total screens. That figure marks the highest IMAX opening weekend index ever for a sci-fi release, as well as the highest IMAX opening weekend box office and index for any Hollywood title in China so far this year.

Two days before release, strong audience demand drove IMAX to capture as much as 50 percent of total pre-sales, a new IMAX China record among sci-fi titles. IMAX theaters accounted for eight of the top 10 highest-grossing cinemas nationwide for the film's release. Tickets at multiple locations — including the China National Film Museum — were completely sold out.

The film's strong box-office performance has been driven by exceptional word-of-mouth, as evidenced by the film's current 8.5 out of 10 rating on the popular review aggregator Douban, making it the highest-rated Hollywood space sci-fi film on the platform since 2015.

"In today's Chinese film market, word-of-mouth has become the ultimate driver of box-office success — and IMAX is its most powerful amplifier, an unavoidable keyword in rave reviews from core critics and passionate fans alike, turning buzz into packed theaters like never before," said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of IMAX China.

"The record-breaking weekend is a powerful testament to this. Following closely on the heels of the Chinese New Year, this new blockbuster injects fresh momentum into the market and sets a strong start for a diverse array of hits in the Year of the Horse."