'Twisters' Soars While 'Despicable Me 4' and 'Inside Out 2' Continue to Impress at Box Office (2024)

Universal/Warner Bros/Amblin’s Twisters has taken the box office by storm with an impressive $21.57 million haul on Sunday, bringing its domestic opening weekend total to a staggering $81.2 million. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung and penned by Mark L. Smith, the long-awaited sequel has nearly doubled the opening weekend numbers of the original Twister from 1996, which debuted at $41 million, and proven a boon for its stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos. Jim Orr, Universal Domestic Distribution Boss, couldn’t contain his excitement:

“Lee Isaac Chung crafted an incredibly engaging summer tentpole in Twisters that is, and it has to be said, taking the domestic box office by storm this weekend. Our magnetic and hard-working cast, led by Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos, bring this tense tale to life, a story that must be seen on a big movie screen in a darkened theater where the immersive sound and visuals transport audiences directly into the fury and destructive power of these storms.”

While Twisters was designed to captivate a broad audience, it has particularly overperformed in the middle of the country with those Tornado Alley walkups, massively exceeding the 52-week norm by significant margins. Key markets for the movie included Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Nashville, Kansas City, and St. Louis. The top-performing theater was the Regal Warren in Moore, OK, a suburb of Oklahoma City, underscoring the film's regional appeal.

The success of Twisters has sparked speculation about potential sequels. What’s next? More tornadoes? Perhaps a fresh setting where tornadoes are rare, like New York City. The film’s stellar performance has not only matched but nearly surpassed the opening weekend numbers of Oppenheimer, which debuted at $82.3 million last year.

Animation and Horror Dominate the Box Office

Coupled with the continued strong performance of Despicable Me 4, Universal amassed an impressive $105.55 million from the top two films at the box office. Speaking of Gru and his Minions, Despicable Me 4, in its third weekend, continues to perform admirably, pulling in $23.8 million despite a 45% drop from the previous week. The film’s cumulative total now stands at a strong domestic $259.5 million and $574 million globally, demonstrating the enduring popularity of the Minions and their antics. Saturday alone saw a $9.5 million haul, marking a 32% increase over Friday, highlighting the film’s weekend appeal.

Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 remains a strong contender, bringing in $12.8 million in its sixth weekend, with a cumulative total soaring past $596 million. The film saw a significant boost on Saturday, earning $5.2 million, a 38% increase over Friday, underscoring its continued appeal to audiences of all ages. The film is also on track to break box office records with $1.44 billion global gross in just six weeks.

In the horror genre, NEON’s Longlegs is holding its own, with a second weekend total of $11.7 million, a 48% drop from its debut. That performance is excellent for a horror film, bringing its ten-day total to $44.6 million and $47.3 million worldwide. The film saw a 21% increase on Saturday, grossing $4.6 million, indicating strong weekend interest. Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One also continues to draw in audiences, earning $6.1 million in its fourth weekend. Despite a 47% drop, the film’s cumulative total has reached $127.6 million domestically and $241.4 million worldwide.

Next Weekend, 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Come Together

Looking ahead, the box office is poised for another shake-up with the release of next week. As the highly anticipated film prepares to hit theaters, it remains to be seen how its R rating will impact its box office performance, but it's a Marvel movie, and it's the first Deadpool movie in six years, which should mean a massive opening weekend.

Stay tuned to Collider for more and grab your tickets for Twisters below!

Twisters

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Thriller

810

An update to the 1996 film 'Twister', which centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.

Release Date

July 19, 2024

Director

Lee Isaac Chung

Cast

Daisy Edgar-Jones , Glen Powell , Anthony Ramos , Brandon Perea , Daryl McCormack

Runtime

117 Minutes

Main Genre

Thriller

Writers

Mark L. Smith , Joseph Kosinski , Michael Crichton , Anne-Marie Martin

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures , Amblin Entertainment , The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures

prequel(s)

Twister

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