We’ve all had that one boss at work who makes us want to pull our hair out, and in Send Help, Linda Liddle gets her own back.
With a fairly limited marketing campaign and a simple premise, Director Sam Raimi’s desert-island flick has surprised many, grossing $25 million in its opening week.
Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews made sure to get down to his local cinema to watch it unravel, and now gives his thoughts.
What is ‘Send Help’ about?
Send Help sees About Time’s Rachel McAdams play overlooked strategy and planning officer Linda Liddle, who is waiting for a huge promotion at work.
Then comes Dylan O’Brien, from the Maze Runner series, as inexperienced boss Bradley Preston, who has just inherited the family business, and instead decides to promote his frat friend in Linda’s place.
Unhappy with the decision, Linda storms into Preston’s office, where he delivers the uncomfortable verdict on her importance to the company.
Preston then rudely demands that she prove herself on a work trip to Bangkok, on which their flight is struck from the skies and crash-lands in the Gulf of Thailand.
Miraculously, it is just Liddle and Preston who survive the crash, and as a hopeful applicant for a survival TV show, strategy and planning’s Linda Liddle now has the upper hand.
What plays out is an exciting yet twisted turn of events, as we wait to see if the pair are ever rescued.
Top-tier performances
A significant proportion of the run-time is occupied solely by the lead pair, and both McAdams and O’Brien deliver convincing and somewhat relatable performances, as we see a disgruntled employee take on the privileged and undeserving boss.
It only takes one or two scenes to establish the type of person Bradley Preston is at first, but as the story progresses, we are left to see a potentially more nuanced facade appear.
Linda Liddle, she is someone we have all been at some point. Trying to fit in somewhere where you aren’t made welcome, and desperate to prove yourself to those you shouldn’t have to.
McAdams, in her first role since 2023’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret reminds us of the quality she brings as an actor, as she brings a real personality to Linda.
Commercial successes
Since its release in late January and early February, Send Help has roared to the top of the box office highest-grossing lists.
In the week of 30 January to 5 February, Raimi outperformed the Melania Trump documentary and Mark Fischbach’s Iron Lung, to reach the top spot, hitting numbers as high as $25.8 million.
During the sixth week of 2026, it continued its box office dominance, beating out Kevin James’ Solo Mio, as well as the leftovers from Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Zootropolis 2, pulling in over $13 million at cinema’s quietest time of year.
Send Help’s worldwide gross has now reached over $70 million, nearly doubling its $40 million production budget, adding another success to Raimi’s CV, which includes three Spider-Man films and 2009’s Drag Me to Hell.
Ultimately, Send Help is not a cinematic masterpiece, but if you’re looking for a thrilling, at times funny, survival flick, it is certainly worth a go.
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