'Project Hail Mary': IMAX Shows Expanded from Five to 60 Across India After Fan Backlash

The Ryan Gosling–led sci-fi film saw limited IMAX availability at release due to screen allocation for 'Dhurandhar 2,' prompting complaints from audiences online.

Team THR India
By Team THR India
LAST UPDATED: MAR 27, 2026, 14:53 IST|4 min read
Ryan Gosling in 'Project Hail Mary' and Ranveer Singh in 'Dhurandhar'
Ryan Gosling in 'Project Hail Mary' and Ranveer Singh in 'Dhurandhar'

The IMAX screenings for the science-fiction film Project Hail Mary have been significantly expanded across India after fans criticised the film’s limited availability on the format during its opening day.

The film, starring Ryan Gosling, opened in Indian cinemas on Thursday but initially secured only five IMAX screens nationwide, despite being shot specifically for the large-format presentation. Most of the country’s IMAX theatres were instead occupied by Dhurandhar 2, the Ranveer Singh–starrer that has dominated screens since its release earlier in March.

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India currently has 34 IMAX theatres, yet the Gosling-led film had just 13 shows scheduled across them on its first day. The limited rollout prompted criticism online, particularly from viewers who argued that the film’s visual scale made it best suited to the premium format.

By Friday, however, the number of IMAX shows had increased sharply, with more than 60 screenings listed across theatres. Tickets for several of the new shows began selling out quickly after they were made available.

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Some cinema-goers took to social media to express both excitement and frustration. People criticised what they described as awkward scheduling, noting that many of the added screenings were either early morning or late-night slots. Cinema chain PVR INOX also acknowledged the increased demand, announcing on Thursday evening that additional IMAX shows had been added.

According to early box office figures, Project Hail Mary collected ₹2.25 crore net on its first day across 1,324 shows in India. This brings the film’s total India gross to ₹2.70 crore and its net collections to ₹2.25 crore so far.

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir. Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a scientist who wakes up alone aboard a spacecraft with no memory of how he arrived there, only to discover he may be humanity’s last hope of preventing an extinction-level threat.

The film also stars Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz and Lionel Boyce.

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar 2 continues its strong run at the box office, having reportedly collected more than ₹675 crore net in India.

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