Los Angeles, California - Amazon MGM's sci-fi adventure movie Project Hail Mary debuted at the top of the North American box office this week with an astronomical $80.5 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Ryan Gosling stars in the film as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

It is adapted from a novel by Andy Weir, the author behind 2015 hit The Martian starring Matt Damon.

"Weir wrote the story as a standalone, but the weekend figure is more than double the average for a series launch – that's how strong this is," analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said.

Directed by filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the movie marks "Amazon MGM's first big hit" since the retail giant acquired the storied studio in 2021, Gross noted.

Falling to second place after two weeks on top was animated hit Hoppers, with $18 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The latest original film from Disney's Pixar tells the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

It has now taken in $242 million globally, according to Exhibitor Relations.