Send Help holds the top spot over Super Bowl weekend
Sam Raimi’s latest feature, Send Help, remained the weekend box office leader through a relatively quiet Super Bowl frame. Released January 30, 2026, the R-rated thriller-comedy has already cleared its reported production budget in under two weeks, positioning the film for a strong run both theatrically and in digital markets.
Where the numbers stand
As of the most recent tally, Send Help has earned nearly $35 million domestically and about $17 million internationally, for a global total just north of $52 million. The picture was produced on a reported $40 million budget; that means crossing the roughly $80 million mark would represent a particularly healthy commercial outcome once ancillary revenue streams are considered.
A notable milestone: Send Help has now surpassed the lifetime worldwide gross of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, which earned $50 million after its 1980 release. That comparison highlights how contemporary releases—fueled by established directors and star power—can quickly eclipse older catalog titles in raw box-office dollars.
Critical response: horror with a comedic bite
Send Help has found favor with critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes the film carries a 93% critics’ score and an 87% audience score. Early consensus praises Raimi’s signature appetite for wild, diabolical set pieces and credits the film’s success to a committed lead duo and a sharp script.
Critics describe the film’s tone as a hybrid: while it contains clear thriller and horror beats, several reviews emphasize its darkly comic and camp-leaning sensibility. Collider’s Aidan Kelley noted that Send Help lands closer to dark comedy than straightforward horror, a characterization that explains much of its broad appeal.
Raimi’s return to the genre that made his name
Send Help marks Sam Raimi’s return to the horror-rooted sensibility that launched his career. It is his first full-throttle foray back into that territory in more than 15 years—his last widely recognized horror outing being Drag Me to Hell. Raimi’s reputation for combining kinetic camerawork, stunt-savvy spectacle and tongue-in-cheek brutality likely helped convince studios to greenlight a theatrical release after initial uncertainty.
Raimi’s track record with box-office hits over his career also likely contributed to the studio’s confidence; his name carries commercial clout that can sway distribution decisions in a market where theatrical windows and release strategies are frequently debated.
The story and the cast
Send Help centers on two colleagues stranded on an island after a plane crash who are forced to confront long-buried resentments. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien lead the cast as Linda and Bradley Preston, respectively, delivering the kind of dynamic that reviewers say fuels both the movie’s laughs and its escalating tension.
The film was written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift and produced by Sam Raimi and Zainab Azizi.
How Send Help and The Shining compare
Comparing a 1980 classic like The Shining to a contemporary genre entry is necessarily imprecise—ticket prices, international market access, and ancillary revenue streams have changed dramatically in four decades. Still, the milestone of overtaking The Shining’s reported $50 million lifetime gross is a noteworthy benchmark for Raimi’s film.
The Shining remains culturally influential and has been the subject of ongoing debate: author Stephen King has repeatedly criticized Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel, and accounts of difficult conditions on set—particularly involving Shelley Duvall—have continued to shape the film’s legacy. Those conversations are separate from raw box-office totals but part of why The Shining remains a touchstone in genre discourse.
Outlook: what to expect next
With strong early reviews, a marketable lead pair, and a clear tonal identity that blends horror and dark comedy, Send Help is positioned to keep performing steadily in theaters. Its capacity to translate into digital and streaming revenue will be an important factor in its final profitability.
Send Help is currently playing in theaters. The Shining is widely available to watch at home.