Twisters Looks To Be An Old School Blockbuster At The Box Office (And For Audiences)

The summer box office has rebounded in recent weeks thanks to the blockbuster success of animated movies like "Despicable Me 4" and Pixar's "Inside Out 2," which is already one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. We also had a blockbuster horror breakout in the form of "A Quiet Place: Day One." But has the time come for an old-school blockbuster to become a theatrical hit? If the early numbers are any indication, it appears as though "Twisters" will indeed keep the hot streak alive as the disaster flick figures to get off to a promising start.

"Twisters" is currently eyeing an opening weekend between $40 and $55 million domestically when it arrives next weekend, per The Hollywood Reporter. That said, tracking from other outlets suggests that is a modest number even on the high end. Box Office Theory has the film taking in anywhere between $71 and $83 million in its debut. That would be a tremendous start for a project with previously uncertain commercial prospects.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung ("Minari"), the film is a reboot/legacy sequel of sorts to the 1996 hit "Twister." While none of the original cast members are returning, Universal Pictures is banking on the concept working for modern audiences. The star power of Glen Powell ("Hit Man," "Anyone But You") and rising star Daisy Edgar-Jones ("Fresh," "Where the Crawdads Sing"), coupled with the spectacle in the trailers for "Twisters," appears to have generated a strong level of interest.

Is that interest enough to justify a budget in the $200 million range? Time will tell, and reviews/word of mouth will be key, but this one also figures to have appeal overseas. If it can pull in similar audiences globally, this may be an unexpected surprise. It would also cement Powell as a true movie star who has meaningful appeal to moviegoers.

The film centers on Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser who is lured back to the field by a friend to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. She crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), a social media superstar storm chaser. As terrifying phenomena never seen before begin to surface, they wind up in the paths of multiple storm systems in Oklahoma. The cast also includes Anthony Ramos ("In the Heights"), Maura Tierney ("The Iron Claw"), Sasha Lane ("Hellboy"), David Corenswet ("Pearl"), Katy O'Brian ("The Mandalorian"), Kiernan Shipka ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"), and Paul Scheer ("The League").

"Twister" was a massive success in its day, taking in $495 million worldwide against a $92 million budget. That was a massive sum to spend on a film in 1996, but it panned out for all involved. Director Jan de Bont never truly considered making a sequel, but nearly 30 years later, Hollywood decided it was time to revive the idea for a new generation. For many younger viewers, that original movie might not mean much of anything to them. In that way, this could play more or less like an original for a decent percentage of the audience. For the rest of us, it will ideally play like a welcome shot of nostalgia.

Not only have non-horror, non-superhero blockbusters been tough to sell to audiences in the pandemic era, but the disaster genre has always had more misses than hits. "The Day After Tomorrow" ($552 million worldwide) is an exception, whereas something like the historic box office bomb "Moonfall" ($67 million worldwide) is closer to the rule, albeit on the extreme end of things. In this day and age, after the rough first half of 2024, if this movie can beat the odds, it would be a very welcome surprise.

"Twisters" hits theaters on July 19, 2024.