'Twisters' movie bags $80.5M at US box office

Moviegoers have run 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 theatres in North America, according to studio estimates on Saturday.

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

Its overperformance recalled "Oppenheimer’s" debut last year on the same weekend.

There are some similarities: 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.

Critics mixed but mostly positive

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 original characters and introduces a new crowd of storm chasers.

It opened last weekend in some markets internationally and continued its expansion this weekend. Globally, its total earnings is estimated to be $574.4 million.

The Universal, Warner Bros and Amblin production cost an estimated $200 million to produce and millions more to promote.

Part of the push included a country music-heavy soundtrack, with a new Luke Combs single “Ain't No Love in Oklahoma” which has racked up more than 56 million audio 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, suggesting word of mouth will be good.

Also of note: 24 percent of moviegoers polled by PostTrack said actor Glen Powell was a main draw.