Project Hail Mary’s breakout star isn’t Rocky. It's Ryan Gosling’s sweater

Project Hail Mary; an unexpected sci-fi film that has woven extraterrestrial adventure with humour and emotion, has turned out to be the breakout movie of the year. It stars Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace alongside James Ortiz as Rocky, who has a loveable interior within a literally rocky exterior, as well as Indian-origin British actress Priya Kansara, who voices the starship Mary. Together with a talented cast, stunning visual effects that deserve to be viewed on an IMAX screen and a captivating plot even for those who aren’t sci-fi enthusiasts, the Hollywood movie has won hearts across the world.

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The box office numbers speak for themselves. Raking in over $400 million from the worldwide box office in 3 weeks of its run, it has gone on to surpass Interstellar's domestic collection of over $200 million during its entire theatrical run and has made it Amazon MGM’s highest-grossing film of all time. While Rocky found a fan following for his chittering communication and disjointed grasp on the English language, Ryan has done it again for his impeccable timing and ability to manoeuvre between emotions in the blink of an eye. 

You’d think that either of them would be the breakout star of 2026’s biggest Hollywood movie so far. Or maybe it would be Sandra Hüller’s deadpan delivery and rendition of Harry Styles’ Sign Of The Times that would do it for you. But it actually happens to be a film costume that has risen to popularity since the movie release.

In multiple scenes from the movie in which Gosling’s Dr. Grace is in mission training, his outfit showcases a rather charming chunky knit long sleeve sweater. In a cosy beige shade with a folded collar and open front, it features the pattern of an open-mouthed fox on either side of the garment. The sweater is the creation of Canadian brand Mary Maxim, who’ve been in business since 1956. Mitch McPhedrain, the president and owner of Mary Maxim, told CTV News, "They originally contacted me prior to shooting, asking for permission to use the sweater in the movie”. The brand’s original patterned featured a pair of wolves but on Ryan’s suggestion, were swapped for friendlier-looking foxes. And there has been no looking back ever since. 

Along with the movie’s incredible success at the box office, the brand too has seen a similar fate. Mary Maxim’s first stock of the Wolf Cardigan promptly sold out and demand has risen for knitting kits and design patterns to make the sweater from scratch. The season of summer may have just began but already it has found it's reigning trend du jour. 

It may be the start of the summer but if the power of movie fashion trend, Ryan Gosling and Hollywood influence can prove anything, it’s that it is never a bad time for a sweater. 

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