‘Project Hail Mary’ has finally landed on a streaming service, though maybe not the one you were expecting.
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary” recently launched (June 18) first on the MGM+ streaming platform, which is a sister site to Prime Video, after its 90-day theatrical window was up. As a bonus, there is a summer deal that lets you snag the Amazon Prime Video MGM+ channel for $0.99/month for 2 months. Be quick, though; this offer ends June 26.
“Project Hail Mary” sees reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace embarking on a cosmic rescue mission to save Earth, aided by a stone-skinned alien named Rocky. Fans looking for the Ryan Gosling space epic to show up on Prime Video out of the gate might be a little surprised, but as they say, That’s Hollywood, Baby.
Why MGM+ and not Amazon Prime Video?
Since Amazon MGM Studios is both a theatrical and streaming studio, deals are often shifted depending on the different monetization models involved.
In “Project Hail Mary’s” case, MGM+ becomes the initial outlet for streaming and PVOD, with Prime Video as the secondary streaming destination. Movies making their first streaming stop on Prime Video, like “Red One,” are handled differently within the corporation, especially if their costs were paid by Prime Video.
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, “Project Hail Mary” was a certified crowd-pleaser after a juggernaut marketing campaign that saw waves of teasers, trailers, clips, and interview videos anywhere and everywhere, which helped to catapult the popular sci-fi film adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel to a decent $678 million global haul.
Amazon, the behemoth parent company of both Prime Video and MGM+, possibly also made a decision to deliver the spring blockbuster initially to MGM+ as an enticement to lure prospective customers to the much smaller platform as a way to drive up subscription numbers. Prime Video’s sweet MGM+ deal is further evidence of this plan’s logic.
For now, “Project Hail Mary”‘s interstellar odyssey is available exclusively on MGM+, but we’ll keep you updated when its official Prime Video date arrives.