Ryan Gosling wears a checkered suit and red tie. He stands in front of a sign for 'Project Hail Mary.'

Movies

‘Project Hail Mary’ Causes a 5000% Increase in Interest in Astronaut Jobs

'Project Hail Mary' is a film about an astronaut. Searches for becoming an astronaut have jumped since the film was released.

by Emma McKee

Published on March 30, 2026

2 min read

‘Project Hail Mary’ drives searches for astronaut jobs

Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as a teacher who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he ended up there. The film is a hit with audiences and critics, and has inspired some viewers to look into ways to get space.

Research by early careers experts, Higherin, found that searches for “how do I become an astronaut” have jumped by 5,000% in the past 30 days. Searches for “Astronaut jobs” jumped by 180%, and “how much do astronauts get paid” is up by 120%.

“I love it when pop culture shows people a new job that they hadn’t considered before,” said Oliver Sidwell, the co-founder of Higherin.

He noted that while the film shows a fictionalized version of an astronaut’s job, the career can still be exciting in real life.

“Yes, Project Hail Mary is a very glamorous and Hollywood version of space travel but it’s still an exciting job,” he said. “To become an astronaut, typically you need a master’s degree in a STEM field or to be a qualified pilot.”

He encouraged young people looking to get a start in the field to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math classes.

“To stand out from the crowd, look at internships that are relevant to your field,” he added. “Being able to speak multiple languages is also a big selling point, as is high fitness levels. Good luck to anyone interested.”

The film has been a massive success since its release

Project Hail Mary has become one of this year’s biggest box office successes. In the second weekend since its release, it passed the $300 million mark at the global box office. This makes it the top-earning Hollywood film of 2026 so far.

It earned $54.5 million domestically in its second weekend, which is only a 32% drop from its first weekend. It has also been a success with critics, earning a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ryan Gosling said his kids helped him look ‘smarter’ before playing an astronaut in ‘Project Hail Mary’

Gosling is Project Hail Mary’s star, and his popularity as an actor can likely account for much of the film’s success. He said fans can thank his kids for helping him build his character.

“They’ve seen many cuts, and they’ve given many notes,” he told USA Today. “They’re the harshest critics, but they are always right, for the most part, and they’ve really been so helpful.”

He said a comment from his daughter helped him make the character look more intelligent.

“When I was playing with the character, just trying stuff out, and I threw on some glasses, my daughter went, ‘You look smarter with glasses.’ And I was like: ‘Well, thank you very much. I think I will be wearing these in the film. Thank you for that note.’”