22 Other Iconic Blockbusters That Were Released On The Same Day
By Rachel Davis
By the time "Up" came around, the world considered Pixar a cinematic institution. And they reached new critical heights with this movie, which world premiered as the kickoff movie at that year's Cannes Film Festival and went on to become Pixar's first Best Picture nominee. Also by this point, it was well established that Pixar movies tended to transform audiences into emotional wrecks, although "Up" set new records in that regard, reducing viewers into floods of tears by the 15-minute mark, as the opening montage hit its climax.
It was the first Pixar movie that played on the emotions of parents rather than the child target audience, and as a result, any adult viewer probably needed a lot more than the comic adventure that followed that opening to get their spirits back to normal. Step forward Sam Raimi's joyously deranged "Drag Me to Hell," his much-anticipated return to horror following the "Spider-Man" trilogy, which delivered belly laughs, jump scares, and audible groans of disgust at its sheer and plentiful grossness.
Many view Raimi's movie as the most nihilistic in his back catalog, especially regarding the eventual fate of its protagonist. But as a pure shot of horror-comedy brilliance, it's hard to fault. If "Up" leaves you emotionally drained, watching this directly afterward will energize you anew.
