Sam Raimi's Send Help Has A Strong Chance Of Breaking A 17-Year-Old Box Office Record

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Rachel McAdams holding up a knife with Dylan O'Brien in Send Help

Published Jan 30, 2026, 9:31 PM EST

Ross is a writer for screenrant. He always stays up to date on the latest movies, whether it's blockbusters or independent dramas. When not watching movies, he can be found at the beach or traveling to amusement parks to ride the best rollercoasters. He is a fan of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, Game of Thrones, and anything Disney.

Send Help is a new horror-thriller from Sam Raimi, and it has a great chance of breaking one of the filmmaker's box office records. After 17 years, Raimi is finally returning to the horror genre. His last horror film, 2009's Drag Me to Hell, was a critical and box office success, but his next two movies were in other genres.

His horror return has earned strong reviews from critics, earning a 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Send Help stars Rachel McAdams as a woman who gets stuck on a deserted island with her boss, played by Dylan O'Brien, after surviving a plane crash. With the rules of the office gone, the pair must find a way to survive their new situation.

Raimi recently directed his highest-grossing film, 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which earned over $955 million worldwide. While Send Help won't reach the box office heights of Doctor Strange 2, it could still break a record that is currently held by Drag Me to Hell.

Send Help Could Become Sam Raimi's Highest-Grossing Horror Film

Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in Send Help

Raimi's breakthrough film, 1981's The Evil Dead, was a hit at the box office, considering its low budget of $375,000. The film had its wide release in 1983, and made over $2 million domestically and $27 million from international markets for a total of over $29 million.

He returned to the franchise with 1987's Evil Dead II, which earned over $5.9 million, and Army of Darkness, which grossed over $21.5 million. The Evil Dead franchise is still making new projects today, including 2026's Evil Dead Burn, which Raimi is producing.

However, Drag Me to Hell is his highest-grossing horror film and was a box office hit, earning over $90.8 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. The 2009 film also won over critics, earning a 92% RT critic score. Send Help currently has the same score, and has a strong chance to break Raimi's horror box office record.

According to Variety, Send Help is projected to earn "$14 million to $17 million" in its opening weekend. If it hits the higher end of its projections, it would beat Drag Me to Hell's opening of $15.8 million. The main question would then be how well it could keep performing each week.

Fortunately, Send Help doesn't have strong competition until Valentine's Day weekend, February 13, when Wuthering Heights debuts, along with other films, like GOAT. The Strangers: Chapter 3 premieres on February 6, but the previous two films didn't perform well. Even on Valentine's Day weekend, Send Help can be a suitable choice for those who enjoy horror date nights.

Send Help also earned an 89% RT audience score, indicating it will have positive word of mouth. Pairing this with a lack of strong horror competition suggests Raimi's latest film is in a great position to break his horror box office record.