The made-in-Oklahoma action movie "Twisters" has already passed a major box-office milestone less than a week after it was officially unleashed in theaters.
The long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster "Twister," which also filmed in the Sooner State, has already surged past the $100 million mark at the North American box office.
"Twisters" officially stormed into cinemas July 19, playing in 4,151 theaters across North America, landing at No. 1 at the domestic box office and far exceeding expectations with an opening weekend of $81.2 million.
The PG-13 action vehicle has continued to spin up impressive business throughout the week. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, "Twisters" made about $9.2 million on Monday, $12.6 million on Tuesday and $10 million on Wednesday.
As Collider reports, the impressive $12 million-plus take from Discount Tuesday, when the major theater chains all offer discounted tickets, propelled "Twisters" past the $100 milestone.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
After six days officially in theaters, "Twisters" has made just more than $113 million at the domestic box office.
Filmed across Oklahoma in 2023, the legacy sequel has added another $43.5 million from the international box office, for a worldwide total of about $156.6 million through Wednesday, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
"Twisters" cost about $155 million to produce, not counting the millions used to promote the popcorn movie.
How have 4DX theaters helped power the box-office success of 'Twisters?'
Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Lee Isaac Chung ("Minari"), who grew up on an Arkansas farm near the Oklahoma border, "Twisters" is a new, contemporary chapter that follows in the path of the 1990s smash "Twister." The standalone sequel introduces a new generation of storm chasers played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, emerging heartthrob Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos.
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" 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 popularity of “Twisters” in the immersive 4DX format helped power the movie to its blockbuster start. Variety reports that opening weekend ticket sales for "Twisters" in 4DX were roughly $2.1 million. That's 30% higher than the $1.57 million for the previous opening weekend record holder for the immersive format, last year’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie."
The premium format uses 21 synchronized movements and environmental effects like rotating gusts of wind, vibration, water, lightning and scents to give theatergoers a multisensory cinematic experience. Over last weekend and into this week, fans have made 4DX showings of "Twisters" go viral.
CJ 4DPLEX, which produces premium film formats and cinema technologies, confirmed Thursday that "Twisters" had whipped up the best domestic box-office opening weekend numbers of 2024 for 4DX. The company teamed with Chung as well as with "Twisters" studios Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment to create the 4DX experience, according to a news release.
To date, Twisters has grossed more than $2.3 million across 62 4DX auditoriums in the domestic market. The film has boasted a per screen average of $37,120, with an occupancy rate of 67 percent, reports CJ 4DPLEX.
The Regal cinema chain has generated $2.1 million at the box office across 50 different 4DX locations, with a per screen average of $41,903.
At the Regal Warren in Moore, the OKC area theater that was actually grazed by an EF5 tornado in 2013 and became the top-earning theater for the opening weekend for “Twisters," 4DX showings of the stormy blockbuster have been sold out all week.
How will 'Twisters' fare at the box office vs. 'Deadpool and Wolverine?'
Deadline reports that premium and IMAX ticket sales fueled 40% of domestic opening weekend ticket sales for "Twisters." The problem is that Marvel Studios' hotly anticipated "Deadpool and Wolverine" is snatching away all the premium theaters — including the 4DX auditoriums — as of Thursday night for a three-week hold.
Officially bowing in theaters Friday, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is predicted to collect $160 million to $170 million from 4,200 North American theaters as it opens this weekend, according to Variety.
The superhero sequel starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman is anticipated to not only become the biggest domestic opening of the year but also to set a new record for the biggest R-rated opening weekend in history. It is expected to smash the current record held by the $132 million debut for 2016’s “Deadpool."
"Deadpool and Wolverine” also is expected to perform superheroically in international markets, with industry watchers estimating it could rake in $350 million to $390 million globally through Sunday. Disney spent about $200 million to produce the movie and an additional $100 million to promote it, Variety reports.
It remains to be seen how "Twisters" will fare with "Deadpool and Wolverine" blasting into theaters. The Associated Press reports that some analysts are optimistically 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.
