'Twisters' debuts as No. 1 movie in North America, with $81.2 million opening weekend

The made-in-Oklahoma action movie "Twisters" did even more damage in its opening weekend at the domestic box office than initially reported Sunday.

The long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster "Twister" landed at a debut of $81.2 million at the North American box office, Deadline reported Monday.

Industry publications projected Sunday that the summer event movie would spin to a three-day domestic opening weekend of $80.5 million, about $30 million ahead of the $50 million to $55 million that several tracking services were forecasting for "Twisters" going into the weekend.

Filmed across Oklahoma in 2023, the standalone sequel again exceeded expectations on Sunday, earning $21.57 million, to power the movie to its final $81.2 million opening number, Deadline reported.

Where does 'Twisters' rank among the top opening weekends for 2024?

"Twisters" easily ripped its way to the top spot on the domestic box-office roster, scoring the biggest opening weekend yet this summer for a live-action movie.

The PG-13 action vehicle finished well ahead of the No. 2 film on the list, "Despicable Me 4," which added $23.8 million to its three-week $259.5 million haul. The animated hit opened in theaters July 3.

"Twisters" roared to a new record for the top domestic opening weekend ever for a natural disaster film, surpassing Roland Emmerich’s "The Day After Tomorrow," which debuted with $68.44 million in 2004, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The legacy sequel, which officially opened in theaters Friday, smashed opening-day expectations, roaring to $32.2 million. The film's first-day take included its strong $10.7 million haul from preview screenings, as fans could catch the action vehicle Wednesday night in IMAX and other premium large-format theaters and at Thursday night showings.

Playing in 4,151 theaters across North America, "Twisters" took in $27.5 million on Saturday, followed by Sunday's $21.57 million.

The domestic opening weekend for "Twisters" ranks as the third biggest for 2024, behind only “Inside Out 2," with about $155 million, and “Dune: Part Two," with $82 million.

"Twisters" cost about $155 million to produce, not counting the millions used to promote the popcorn movie, and has earned more than $123 million so far at the global box office, reported Screen Daily.

Which OKC area multiplex was the top-earning theater for the opening weekend of 'Twisters?'

"Twisters" is a new, contemporary chapter that follows in the path of the 1990s smash "Twister," which also filmed in the Sooner State. The new "Twisters" didn't depend solely on nostalgia for the original movie: Instead of calling back to the 1996 movie's characters and story, "Twisters" introduces a new generation of storm chasers played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, emerging heartthrob Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos.

Two-time Oscar nominee Lee Isaac Chung, who hails from Arkansas, championed Oklahoma as the right place to make "Twisters."

Not only did the filmmaker grow up on a farm just across the Arkansas border from Westville, Oklahoma, but he also previously filmed his Academy Award-winning semi-autobiographical immigrant drama "Minari" in the Tulsa area in 2019.

And Chung obviously understood how to create a spin-off movie that would appeal in Oklahoma and across the rest of Middle America.

Deadline reported Sunday that the top-grossing cities for the opening weekend for "Twisters" were Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, Texas.

Although New York City and Los Angeles usually boast the highest-attended movie venues in the country, Variety reported that the top-earning theater for the opening weekend for “Twisters” was the Regal Warren in Moore, an OKC area theater that was actually grazed by an EF5 tornado in 2013.

How did immersive 4DX ticket sales help power the opening weekend success of 'Twisters?'

Not only did the disaster movie perform strongly in places where tornadoes actually touch down on a regular basis, but "Twisters" also proved a popular title to see in 4DX over the weekend. In the immersive 4DX format, theaters are fitted with motion-enabled seats and equipped to offer special lighting, scents and even spraying water to go along with the onscreen action, allowing audiences to have an even more close-up experience with the movie's tornadoes than in a traditional auditorum.

Perhaps the "If you feel it, chase it" mantra of Powell's cowboy storm-chaser character inspired audiences: Variety reported that "Twisters" rounded up 4DX opening weekend ticket sales of about $2.1 million, compared to the $1.57 million for the previous opening weekend record holder for the immersive format, last year’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie."

"Twisters" pulled in solid reviews — including from The Oklahoman — and it boasted 78% positive reviews from critics and a 92% positive audience score on RottenTomatoes.com as of Sunday. Audiences also gave the movie an A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak, according to The Associated Press.

The movie's focus on popcorn thrills, its predominantly country music soundtrack and the appeal of rising star Powell all have been cited as helping the movie spin to the top of the domestic box office.

At the July 15 OKC premiere of "Twisters," Powell touted the movie as a quintessential summer blockbuster.

"It contains everything you need: It's thrilling. It's adventurous. It's fun. It's funny. It's directed so well, and the performances are beautiful. It's emotional. And it's about the people of Oklahoma. It's about this community," Powell said on the red carpet.

A strong opening weekend was important for "Twisters," as the highly anticipated "Deadpool and Wolverine" opens in theaters Friday, July 26, and could potentially post record-breaking numbers.

Since Marvel Studios' anti-hero adventure movie is rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references — compared to the PG-13 rating for "Twisters" — it will be interesting to see how the two blockbusters fare going head to head.

Some analysts are already drawing comparisons to last year's "Barbenheimer," when the PG-13-rated "Barbie" and R-rated "Oppenheimer" played in theaters at the same time, with both achieving box-office success.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Twisters' proves a popular draw in 4DX immersive theater format