‘Up’ should easily best ‘Drag Me to Hell’

There are very few brand names in the movie business, but two of Hollywood’s biggest will face each other this weekend: Pixar Animation Studios and “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi.

Their two movies couldn’t be more different. Pixar and Disney’s “Up” is a family-friendly adventure story about a septuagenarian and young boy’s balloon-powered trip to an exotic land. Raimi, who has a devoted cult following thanks to his early horror films including the “Evil Dead” movies, has directed “Drag Me to Hell,” a terrifying morality tale.

Pixar’s box-office record is impeccable. The studio’s last film, “Wall-E,” opened to $63.1 million, on its way to total domestic ticket sales of $223.8 million. Commercials for “Up” have emphasized its comedy, but the movie is surprisingly personal, and it’s unclear how younger audiences will react to the film’s sometimes sentimental style. Nonetheless, director Pete Docter’s “Up” should win the weekend handily, with a gross as high as $65 million.

When working with Peter Parker, Raimi possesses an equally stellar resume. The last “Spider-Man” film premiered with a first-weekend gross of $151.1 million, ultimately netting $336.5 million. Because it is a star-free genre film, “Drag Me to Hell” will open much smaller -- about $23 million -- but in line with the premieres of 2005’s “White Noise” and 2008’s “The Strangers.” Because both films have attracted overwhelmingly positive reviews, “Drag Me to Hell” and “Up” will enjoy high multiples -- meaning their total gross could exceed three times the business they generate on their first weekends. Movies with poor notices and equally weak word-of-mouth tend to have multiples of around two; “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opened to $85.1 million, but may not make it past the $190-million mark.

-- John Horn