Adapted from New York Times best-selling author Andy Weir's novel of the same name, the hard sci-fi film Project Hail Mary is set to open across the Chinese mainland on Friday, the same day as its North American release.

Produced under the "Filmed for IMAX" program — a certification recognizing the use of high-quality digital cameras for IMAX-format films — the epic features nearly two hours in the expanded IMAX aspect ratio, delivering an immersive spacefaring experience.

On March 17, an IMAX premiere was held in downtown Beijing, where the theater was decorated with iconic elements from the movie, including a prop installation resembling Tau Ceti, the destination star that serves as the protagonist's destination in a mission to save humankind.

Starring actor Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a brilliant molecular biologist, the movie follows his unexpected recruitment for a perilous mission. Alongside two crew members, he sets out aboard a spaceship to solve the mystery of a strange substance that is threatening to extinguish the sun. Waking up to find himself light-years from Earth, and worse, the sole survivor on the ship, Grace must rely on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save humanity from extinction. But an unexpected friendship suggests he may not have to do it alone.

One of the most breathtaking moments comes when Grace dons an astronaut suit and steps out of the spacecraft — at that instant, the boundless universe fills the entire IMAX screen, immersing the audience in a powerful sensation of floating weightlessly in space, according to some attendees at the premiere.

The film has already climbed to become the second highest-grossing presale title among new releases on China's national box-office charts for Friday.