2026 was welcomed by Sam Raimi, bulldozing right into the heart of the thriller genre. With Send Help, the veteran filmmaker has re-established his evergreen hold on slapstick comedy-infused horror. Swinging through the domestic box office with a whopping $20 million in its opening weekend alone, the film is possibly 2026's highest-grossing so far. Since its release on January 30, 2026, the film's concoction of satirical gender politics and survival of the fittest has been half carried on Rachel McAdams' shoulders, courtesy of a 'strange' wish on Raimi's side.

There is a reason behind everything, even behind Rachel McAdams' perfect portrayal of descent into happiness. 

In 2022, Sam Raimi, with his minimal yet sprawling portfolio markers of the Spiderman Trilogy, took on the making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Rachel McAdams was confirmed to return as Dr. Christine Palmer after 2016's Doctor Strange, Raimi believed her presence in the film was only partially realized. 

"I saw how talented she was," Raimi exclaimed while speaking to Total Film, "and actually underutilized, and I promised myself that I would work with her again, and then this film came up." And as it turns out, Linda Liddle's position in Send Help had been claimed ever since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness touched the screens. 

Rachel McAdams' character in Send Help is a complete one-eighty-degree turn from her previous roles. Cementing her knack for layered yet deeply humane characters, such as in The Notebook, McAdams broke the typecasting cycle by taking on Linda's socially awkward, non-glamorous role. While the part itself is a transformation, McAdams goes through reformation in-film as well, turning from a dreary, under-confident corporate strategist into a ruthless, indifferent, empowered survivor. 

Rachel McAdams Starring ‘Send Help’ Becomes the Biggest Opening of 2026 So Far

While Sam Raimi steadily expands his dossier to a DC-worthy level, Rachel McAdams has kicked off her year with long-awaited honors. 

With there having been exactly ten days left for Sam Raimi to Send Help, Rachel McAdams had helped herself to a famed feast already. McAdams' long-lasting and impactful contribution to Hollywood earned her a literal step-up in the industry. Her name graced the 2833rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, with the star, in particular, belonging to the Motion Picture Category. 

Sam Raimi, as if faithful to his words even a month before he actually expressed them, had emceed the Mean Girls actress' honor. Remaining faithful to his vow made in 2022, Raimi has given Hollywood yet another justification to McAdams' name on Hollywood Boulevard with Send Help.

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What do you think of Rachel McAdams' reason for being in Sam Raimi's Send Help? Let us know in the comments!