‘Twisters’ storms to top of N. American box office
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES—Universal’s weather thriller “Twisters” spun up a huge maiden weekend, earning an estimated $80.5 million to top the North American box office, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Sunday.
The stand-alone followup to 1996’s popular “Twister”—under the seemingly unlikely direction of the man who helmed sweet Korean-American family drama “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung—had been projected to make closer to $50 million.
But strong reviews and a cast led by Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones helped propel the film—about storm chasers caught in the middle of fast-converging tornadoes—to what The Hollywood Reporter said was the top domestic opening ever for a natural disaster film.
Bigger and better
“The spectacle, the special effects and the set pieces are bigger and better [than the original film],” said analyst David A. Gross. “It’s perfect summer entertainment.”
“Twisters” ousted the previous top earner, another Universal film, the animated comedy “Despicable Me 4,” which placed second with $23.8 million in ticket sales for the Friday-through-Sunday period.
Holding steady in third was Disney and Pixar’s coming-of-age animation “Inside Out 2,” at $12.8 million. On its six weeks out, it has earned $596.4 million domestically and an additional $847 million globally.
In fourth, down two spots, was horror mystery “Longlegs” from indie studio Neon, at $11.7 million. Nicolas Cage stars in the tale of an FBI agent (Maika Monroe) tracking a creepy serial killer.
And in fifth, slipping one spot, was Paramount’s apocalyptic horror film “A Quiet Place: Day One,” at $6.1 million. Lupita Nyong’o plays a seriously ill woman in a New York invaded by keen-eared extraterrestrials.
Rounding out the top 10 were: “Fly Me to the Moon” ($3.3 million); “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ($2.7 million); “Bad Newz” (1.1 million); “MaXXXine” ($819,000); and “The Bikeriders” ($700,000).
