The made-in-Oklahoma tentpole movie "Twisters" keeps rising higher at the North American box office.
The long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster "Twister" now is tracking for a three-day domestic opening weekend of $74.6 million, Variety reports Saturday.
The legacy sequel, which officially opened in theaters Friday, smashed opening-day expectations, roaring to $32.2 million. The film's first-day take includes 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.
Going into the weekend, several movie industry publications and tracking services initially were forecasting "Twisters" to spin up $50 million to $55 million at the domestic box office over its opening weekend. Predictions were revised higher on Friday, with expectations for an opening weekend score as high as $72 million.
But Deadline reports Saturday that "Twisters" could keep gaining power and spin as high as an $80 million opening weekend, which would put it on the level of last year's box-office powerhouse "Oppenheimer."
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Which Oklahoma multiplex is the highest grossing theater to date for 'Twisters?'
Filmed across Oklahoma in 2023, "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" stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter, a former Oklahoma storm chaser whose devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years prompts her move to New York City, where she studies storm patterns from the safety of a screen.
Kate is lured back to Tornado Alley by her friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), to test a new tracking system. Out in the field in the midst of record tornadic conditions, they cross paths with Tyler Owens (star Glen Powell), a charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his rowdy crew.
With a runtime just over two hours," "Twisters" is rated PG-13 for intense action and peril, some language and injury images.
"Twisters" has earned solid reviews — including from The Oklahoman — and it boasted 77% positive reviews from critics and a 92% positive audience score on RottenTomatoes.com as of Saturday.
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 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 he clearly understood how to create a standalone sequel that would appeal to the American Heartland.
Deadline reports that audiences in the so-called "flyover states" are driving the massive box-office haul for "Twisters." The highest grossing theater to date for "Twisters" is the Regal Warren in Moore, which has spun up more than $130,000 for the popcorn movie, according to the industry publication.
How has Glen Powell's rising star power helped 'Twisters' soar higher?
The star power of Powell also is playing a role in the box-office success of "Twisters." Deadline reports that 24% of its audience went to the movie Friday because of Powell, per PostTrak.
Powell, Edgar-Jones and Ramos have continued to relentlessly promote the new film: The trio took the stage at Luke Comb's Friday night concert at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. They delighted the crowd by shotgunning beers with the country music superstar, who has a single in the movie titled “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma.”
In looking at the demographics for the event movie's box-office take so far, Deadline reports that "Twisters" audiences were 51% Caucasian, 26% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Black and 9% Asian-American. IMAX and other premium large-format tickets represent about 43% of sales for "Twisters."
And the mighty box-office performance for "Twisters" wasn't powered just by film fans who were nostalgic for the original "Twister." Audiences ages 18 to 34 turned out at 46%, per Deadline.
How will 'Twisters' new box-office estimate rank it among the biggest opening weekends of this year?
If the revised almost $75 million domestic opening-weekend forecast for "Twisters" proves correct, the stormy standalone sequel could land in the Top 5 initial three-day weekends of the year so far.
As Variety reports, a $75 million opening would put "Twisters" in the same territory as “Despicable Me 4," which nabbed $75 million in its first three-day weekend, giving the animated hit the fourth-biggest three-day debut of the year.
The top three North American opening weekends so far this year belong to “Inside Out 2," with about $155 million; “Dune: Part Two," with $82 million; and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," with $80 million.
