Universal and Warner Bros.’ Twisters made a remarkable debut at the box office this weekend, earning $80.5 million in opening weekend ticket sales.
This significant boost brought all films released this weekend to $147.2 million. Despite the strong performance, this figure lags behind last year’s blockbuster weekend, dominated by BARBENHEIMER, where Barbie opened with $162 million and Oppenheimer added $82.5 million, totaling $311 million.
The highest-grossing weekend ever remains April 26-28, 2019, when Avengers: Endgame led to a staggering $402.1 million.
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Twisters is a standalone sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. The new film stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, continuing the storm-chasing saga with a fresh narrative. The story follows Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser drawn back into the field by a friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), to test a new storm-tracking system. They encounter Tyler Owens (Powell), a social-media entrepreneur looking for thrilling content.
In terms of box office performance, Twisters’ $80.5 million opening compares favorably to the $41.1 million earned by the original Twister in 1996. However, adjusting for inflation, Twister’s opening would be approximately $82.1 million today, with a significantly lower per-theatre average of $16,984 compared to Twisters’ $19,393. While Twisters played in nearly twice the number of locations, the original film’s impact in 1996 remains notable.
Critical Reception and Financials
Twisters has garnered positive reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 77% from critics and 93% from audiences, surpassing the original film’s scores of 67% and 58%, respectively. The film’s higher opening numbers and favorable reviews suggest that it could achieve impressive long-term results.
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Other Box Office Highlights
DESPICABLE ME 4
The animated sequel earned $23.8 million this weekend, bringing its 17-day domestic total to $259.5 million and worldwide total to $496.9 million. It is expected to finish as the third or fourth highest-grossing film in the series.
INSIDE OUT 2
Disney and Pixar’s sequel earned $12.8 million this weekend, holding the third spot at the box office. After 38 days, it has grossed $596.4 million domestically and $1.4 billion worldwide. It is on track to become the top-grossing animated film in the domestic market.
LONGLEGS
Neon’s horror film continued to perform strongly, finishing in fourth place with $11.7 million. Its domestic total stands at $44.7 million, making it the second highest-grossing horror film of 2024.
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
The Paramount release earned $6.1 million this weekend, bringing its 24-day domestic total to $127.6 million and worldwide total to $235.9 million. It trails behind the original A QUIET PLACE‘s $148.5 million domestic total at the same point in its release.
While Twisters has made a strong opening statement, the box office landscape remains highly competitive. The coming weekend’s release of Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to further shape the summer box office race and potentially close the gap with last year’s record-setting figures.
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