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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteOn Rotten Tomatoes, Project Hail Mary is currently ahead of The Martian by four percentage points on both the critic and audience meters: 95% to 91%. That makes it the higher-rated of these two films on this service—not proof that it ranks among the highest-rated science-fiction movies of the 21st century.
Is Project Hail Mary rated higher than The Martian?
Yes, on Rotten Tomatoes’ current pages. As checked October 7, 2026, Project Hail Mary has a 95% Tomatometer from 430 reviews, compared with The Martian at 91% from 388 reviews. The audience Popcornmeter is also 95% for Project Hail Mary, based on more than 25,000 verified ratings, and 91% for The Martian, based on more than 100,000 ratings.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Project Hail Mary: A Novel | $13.88 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Andy Weir's 3-Book Collection Set (Project Hail Mary, Artemis, the Martian) | $41.22 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Project Hail Mary (Korean Edition) | $35.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Project Hail Mary (Deluxe Edition): A Novel | $22.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Project Hail Mary (Italian Edition) | $10.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| Rotten Tomatoes measure | Project Hail Mary | The Martian |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatometer | 95% (430 reviews) | 91% (388 reviews) |
| Popcornmeter | 95% (25,000+ verified ratings) | 91% (100,000+ ratings) |
| Average critic rating | Not stated on the cited Rotten Tomatoes page | 7.90/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes’ percentages represent the share of reviews or audience ratings counted as positive; they are not weighted average scores. The critic and audience results are separate measures, and the audience samples are notably different in size. [Rotten Tomatoes: Project Hail Mary] [Rotten Tomatoes: The Martian]
What the comparison says—and what it does not
The figures support a straightforward conclusion: Rotten Tomatoes currently shows stronger positive reception for Project Hail Mary than for The Martian, among the reviews and ratings reflected on the two pages. A four-point difference is not, by itself, a verdict that one film is better for every viewer.
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Nor do these two scores establish that Project Hail Mary is one of the century’s highest-rated science-fiction films. Rotten Tomatoes’ percentages are not a ranked league table of all sci-fi releases. That broader claim would require a defined set of films and a consistent ranking method.
Metacritic’s Project Hail Mary page includes one reviewer’s comparison of the film to “The Martian for the TikTok generation.” That is an individual critic’s phrasing, not an objective equivalence between the movies. The cited information does not establish a matching Metacritic score for The Martian, so it cannot support a numerical comparison across the two films on that service. [Metacritic: Project Hail Mary]
Why the two films invite comparison
Both movies adapt novels by Andy Weir and use science-fiction adventure to put a resourceful protagonist in a life-or-death space mission. But they tell different stories. Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as science teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes aboard a spacecraft with no memory and must confront a substance threatening the Sun. Rotten Tomatoes lists Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as directors and gives the film a March 20, 2026 theatrical release, a 2-hour-36-minute runtime, and a PG-13 rating.
The Martian, a 2015 sci-fi/adventure/drama starring Matt Damon, is the earlier Weir adaptation. The shared author and survival-in-space premise make the pairing natural, but the ratings do not measure how closely either movie follows its novel or how viewers will respond to their different characters and tones.
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Opening weekend: a separate measure
Project Hail Mary also had the larger reported North American opening: The Associated Press reported an estimated $80.5 million in March 2026, compared with roughly $54.3 million for The Martian in 2015. These are opening-weekend figures from different release years, not like-for-like inflation-adjusted totals, and box office measures ticket sales rather than critical or audience approval. [The Associated Press, March 22, 2026]
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What critics are saying about Project Hail Mary
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus describes the film as “A visually dazzling space odyssey that’s carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart.” This is the aggregator’s consensus statement, not a quotation from a single named reviewer. [Rotten Tomatoes: Project Hail Mary]
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