'Twisters' whips up $80.5 million at box office in North America

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Glen Powell, left, and Daisy Edgar-Jones in a scene from “Twisters.” (Universal Pictures via AP)

Moviegoers ran toward the tornadoes this weekend, propelling ” Twisters ” to a blockbuster opening. The standalone sequel to the 1996 hit made $80.5 million in ticket sales from 4,151 theaters in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That’s about $30 million more than analysts expected initially, and makes for the biggest opening of a live-action movie yet this summer.

Fil-Am actor Brandon Perea chases disaster in epic film ‘Twisters’

‘Oppenheimer’ wins best picture at Academy Awards, Emma Stone takes best actress

“We had big aspirations for it to begin with, and it certainly exceeded those,” said Jim Orr, who heads distribution for Universal. “We’re seriously over-indexing between coasts which is fun to see as well.”

Its overperformance recalled ” Oppenheimer’s ” debut last year on the same weekend. There are some similiarities: The studio, Universal, and the numbers. But there are also important differences: “Oppenheimer” was 3-hours long, R-rated (“Twisters” is PG-13) and historical, not to mention the collective enthusiasm around its release date companion, “Barbie.”

” Twisters,” meanwhile, is a franchise. It may not be a direct sequel to “Twister” but it is benefiting from the brand recognition. The original Jan de Bont-directed film starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton was a financial hit at the time and has only become more beloved over the years. This film, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, does not include any of the characters from the original and introduces a new crowd of storm chasers.

“This is just further evidence that when you create something that’s compelling and interesting and has broad appeal, that all across the country people will show up,” said Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “I think the word of mouth on this movie is going to be exceptional.”

The Universal, Warner Bros. and Amblin production cost $155 million to produce and millions more to promote. Part of the push included a country music heavy soundtrack, with a new Luke Combs single “Aint No Love in Oklahoma” which has racked up more than 56 million audio streams. The soundtrack as a whole, featuring the likes of Bailey Zimmerman, Tucker Wetmore, Tanner Adell, Lainey Wilson, Tyler Childers, Thomas Rhett and Miranda Lambert, has over 75 million streams.

Critics were mixed but mostly positive about the 2-hour thriller. Audiences gave it an enthusiastic A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. Also of note: 24% of moviegoers polled by PostTrack said actor Glen Powell was a main draw.

“Our director crafted exactly what audiences want to see in theaters: A very immersive, exciting, mayhem everywhere story with a charming cast,” Orr said.

Bob Bagby, the chair of the theatre owners association and the CEO of Kansas City-based B&B Theatres, which has about 580 screens, said their 4DX auditoriums have been nearly sold out all weekend. 4DX is an “immersive” presentation format for films that includes seat-shaking and wind effects.

“Twisters” has also whipped up some spirited online discourse and debate, some about the film not explicitly referencing climate change and some about the lack of a kiss between Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. A video showing the kiss that was left on the cutting room floor made the rounds on social media over the weekend.

Bagby appreciated that there was no “surprise political or social agenda.”

“I’m in the movie business. We show everything. There’s been many movies about global warming and that’s important,” he said. “But sometimes you go to the movies and you don’t want to be brought back to reality and lose your escape. You just want to have a good time.”

Universal also had the No. 2 movie in the country with “Despicable Me 4,” now in its third weekend. It added $23.8 million from North America, where it is still playing in over 4,000 theaters, bringing its domestic total to $259.5 million.

Third place went to another animated juggernaut: Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” now in its sixth weekend, and boasting a global total of $1.4 billion. It is quickly closing in on “Frozen 2” to earn the title of the biggest animated movie of all time.

Last year on this weekend “Barbenheimer” helped propel the box office to over $311 million. This weekend was never going to match that, but progress is still being made after a difficult start for the crucial summer moviegoing season.

“Things have really turned around since May,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

And another force is storming theaters next weekend in ” Deadpool & Wolverine,” which is tracking to open in the $160 million range. That would be enough to unseat “Inside Out 2” for the biggest opening of the year. How it will affect “Twisters” in its second weekend is a big unknown. O’Leary said he believes it’s a plus having compelling movies going head to head.

Dergarabedian added: “We could be looking at a weekend where people want to go see two blockbusters back to back. It’ll give that second weekend of Barbenheimer a run for its money.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Twisters,” $80.5 million.

2. “Despicable Me 4,” $23.8 million.

3. “Inside Out 2,” $12.8 million.

4. “Longlegs,” $11.7 million.

5. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $6.1 million.

6. “Fly Me to the Moon,” $3.4 million.

7. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $2.7 million.

8. “Bad Newz,” $1.1 million.

9. “MaXXXine,” $819,242.

10. “The Bikeriders,” $700,000.