Movie theaters are leaning hard into collectible merch to draw crowds, and among current releases, Project Hail Mary is setting communities and social media on fire with its must-have goodies.
On the 7th, Sony Pictures’ official social media posted, "Finally! Rocky has landed in theaters. Watch Project Hail Mary for a chance to get a Rocky keyring."
According to the announcement, on the 12th at 1 p.m. at Lotte Cinema World Tower, moviegoers who watch Project Hail Mary can receive a keyring that looks just like Rocky from the film.
Project Hail Mary is based on the novel by Andy Weir. It follows middle school teacher Grace (played by Ryan Gosling), who is sent into space to save a fading Sun, Earth, and humanity—and unexpectedly encounters an alien lifeform. Anticipation was already high thanks to Weir’s bestselling source material; as the author behind The Martian and Artemis, his new adaptation drew buzz well before release.
Earlier, Project Hail Mary turned heads with a transparent PET poster giveaway. Part of a third-weekend in-theater event, the poster features the backs of Rocky and Grace. Because it’s transparent, fans can stage photos that make it look like Rocky and Grace are admiring Earth’s beauty—blue skies, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and sunsets over the Han River—making it especially eye-catching. Photos using the poster spread across social media, supercharging the buzz.
The merch has also earned praise from fans overseas. Reactions poured in from around the world: "Should I swim all the way to Korea?", "Why don’t we have merch like this in Japan?", "So jealous of Koreans", "Why can’t Brazil make this?", and "Korea’s marketing team is killing it."
Riding the hype, a special Gwang-eum Cinema package screening that includes the Rocky keyring sold out early. All 268 seats for that Project Hail Mary showtime are now gone.
With demand soaring, Korea’s movie merch scene—once limited to items like the Megabox Original Ticket—is rapidly diversifying. Many now wonder if creative IP-driven goodies can help revive struggling theaters.