'Project Hail Mary' just won the Oscars of movie trailers

Turns out movie trailers now have their own version of the Oscars – and this year, Project Hail Mary absolutely cleaned up.

The film’s trailer, titled Chance, walked away with the coveted Best of Show prize at the 2026 Golden Trailer Awards, officially proving that audiences were not the only ones obsessed with it.

Between the massive visuals, emotional punches and just enough humour to keep people from emotionally spiraling, the trailer basically did what every great preview dreams of doing: make viewers immediately text someone, “We’re watching this opening weekend.”

“This trailer and the others for Project Hail Mary clearly connected with audiences, helping to make the film a global box office hit,” said Golden Trailer Awards executive director Evelyn Brady.

She also called the trailer “a master class” in effective marketing, praising its “spectacular visuals,” “arresting sound design” and “disarming humour.”

The awards ceremony, held Thursday night at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, celebrated the often chaotic art of convincing audiences to care about movies in under three minutes.

Comedian Morgan Jay hosted the event, while studios and marketing agencies battled it out across a staggering 119 categories.

Meanwhile, AV Squad continued its Hollywood takeover by winning Agency of the Year for the third consecutive year. Together with AV Print, the company racked up 14 wins total.

“Congratulations to AV Squad, who have dominated this top honour,” executive producer Monica Brady said, praising the agency’s “unique and bespoke touch.”

Other big winners included One Battle After Another, Weapons and Sinners, with each project taking home three awards.

And yes, Disney once again behaved like Disney – leading studios with 29 wins, while Warner Bros. Discovery followed closely behind with 22.