Amazon MGM Smash Hit 'Project Hail Mary' Could Trump Box Office Failure Of 'Melania' Documentary

Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) shelled out $8.5 billion to acquire MGM to help boost its TV and movie output for movie theaters and the Prime Video streaming platform. The ecommerce giant has its biggest box office hit since the acquisition, which could help offset the unprofitable "Melania" documentary released earlier this year. "Project Hail Mary" Soars at Box Office The new sci-fi film “Project Hail Mary” recently passed the $300 million worldwide box office mark, becoming the top-grossing film domestically for 2026 and the second-highest-grossing film globally for the year. The film has grossed $163.8 million domestically and $153.2 million in international markets, with several new international markets seeing strong early demand, as reported by Variety. The film opened with $80.5 million in box office domestically in its opening weekend, marking the best debut of a non-franchise Hollywood film since 2023. "Project Hail Mary" is the highest-grossing film for Amazon since its acquisition of MGM. Helps Boost 2026 Outlook Amazon MGM releases around 15 films annually, aiming to be box-office hits and win over subscribers to the Prime Video streaming platform. With a production budget of $200 million and a box office of more than $300 million, "Project Hail Mary" is on its way to being a successful film for Amazon, and it hasn't launched on streaming yet. Far from the company's biggest box office grosser, "Melania" got tons of attention earlier this year for Amazon as the film opened with $7 million domestically in its first weekend in theaters, surpassing estimates. The documentary about First Lady Melania Trump drew stronger-than-expected box office numbers, though industry observers suggested some of the sales may have been boosted by bulk ticket purchases that were distributed to groups or left unused. Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the rights to "Melania" and another $35 million on the marketing efforts. The film grossed $16.4 million domestically, $304,000 internationally and $16.7 million total worldwide. While the film could have an impact on subscriber numbers for Prime Video, it will end up being a likely unprofitable venture for Amazon, given the high upfront costs it couldn't recoup in theaters. The good news for Amazon and shareholders is that the success of "Project Hail Mary" could help cushion the failure of "Melania." There are also more films on the slate for Amazon, including the "Masters of the Universe" film from the He-Man toy universe in partnership with toy company Hasbro. Image via Shutterstock/ xalien