Chris Pratt’s Sci-Fi Thriller MERCY Crashes to the Lowest Opening of His Career
Thanks to massive hits like Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Chris Pratt has become one of the highest-grossing leading actors in Hollywood history.
Those movies made obscene amounts of money, but there’s a common thread running through all of them. They’re built on massive, well-known IP. When Pratt steps into original material that relies more on star power than brand recognition, the results have been far less consistent.
That’s what made Mercy such an interesting box office experiment. The sci-fi thriller was positioned as a test of whether Pratt’s A-list status alone could bring audiences out. The answer, at least theatrically, is a clear no.
According to Variety, Mercy pulled in just $11.2 million domestically in its opening weekend. While that was enough to knock Avatar: Fire and Ash out of the top spot after a five-week reign, the victory is hollow.
That $11.2 million debut marks the lowest opening weekend of Pratt’s career as a leading man, coming in below the $14.8 million earned by Passengers back in 2016. He’s appeared in films that opened lower, but those cases involved either a limited release or roles where he clearly wasn’t the primary draw.
The soft debut doesn’t come as a shock. Even with recognizable names like Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson front and center, Mercy ran into several problems at once. Critics weren’t kind, leaving the film with a rough 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes and extending a discouraging pattern for Pratt’s non-Marvel live-action projects.
Word of mouth didn’t help matters, and a winter storm sweeping through several states made theatrical attendance tougher across the board. Under those conditions, even a well-reviewed studio release would’ve struggled to break through. I went in with super low expectations, but ended up kind of enjoying it.
What this really highlights is a larger issue Hollywood keeps running into. Big-name stars don’t guarantee big turnouts anymore. Audiences have become far more selective, and familiarity with an IP often matters more than who’s on the poster.
Banking on A-list actors as the primary selling point just isn’t working the way it once did, especially for original films competing for attention in a crowded marketplace.
Early-year box office is usually slow, but it’s hard to see Mercy staging a meaningful rebound. Films that recover from weak openings need strong legs, and that usually comes from positive audience reactions.
With largely negative reception and little excitement carrying over into week two, the outlook isn’t great. The situation won’t get easier with new releases on the way, including the upcoming horror film Send Help from Sam Raimi, which could prove far more tempting.
If Mercy were being embraced as a sharp, timely look at artificial intelligence and modern society, there might be room for recovery once the weather clears. As things stand, it’s likely headed for a quick slide down the charts.
For Amazon MGM Studios, the disappointing theatrical run isn’t a total disaster. High-concept genre films with familiar faces often find new life on streaming, and Mercy seems tailor-made for that path.
Once its time in theaters ends and it lands on Prime Video, the film could see a second wave of attention as viewers add it to their watchlists. That doesn’t erase the cost of marketing and distribution, but it does soften the blow.
As for Pratt, this stumble won’t keep him down for long. He’s set to return this spring in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the follow-up to the billion-dollar animated hit, and it’s already expected to be one of the biggest releases of 2026. He also still has a future tied to Marvel.
One underperforming sci-fi thriller isn’t going to derail his career, but Mercy is a clear reminder that even the biggest stars can’t open original movies on name recognition alone anymore.