The forecast is exceptionally bright for Lee Isaac Chung’s summer blockbuster, Twisters. This Universal Pictures release, featuring a star-studded cast including Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos, is projected to bring in around $55 million during its July 19-21 opening weekend in North America, as estimated by market leader National Research Group. Universal itself is cautiously estimating a $40 million to $45 million opening, given recent discrepancies in tracking. However, research firm The Quorum predicts even higher earnings, ranging from $54 million to $61 million.
Twisters arrives 28 years after Jan de Bont’s original Twister, which starred Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and became a box office sensation. Universal and Chung have emphasized that this new film is not a sequel but rather a “current day-chapter” of the original.
The standalone story features Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser who has been traumatized by a tornado encounter during her college years. Now working in New York City, she analyzes storm patterns from a safe distance. Her friend Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, convinces her to return to the plains to test a new tracking system. There, she meets Tyler Owens, portrayed by Glen Powell, a daring and charismatic social media influencer who documents his storm-chasing exploits. As the storm season reaches its peak, the characters face terrifying weather phenomena as multiple storm systems converge over Oklahoma.
Chung, speaking at CinemaCon in April, shared his lifelong fascination with tornadoes, having grown up in tornado-prone Arkansas. “When Twister came out in 1996, I was in high school and was absolutely mesmerized,” Chung recalled. “In creating the world for this film, we aim to immerse audiences in experiences that evoke fear, awe, and reverence for nature’s power.”
The cast of Twisters also includes Kiernan Shipka, David Corenswet, Sasha Lane, Maura Tierney, Katy O’Brian, Brandon Perea, Daryl McCormack, Harry Hadden-Paton, Nik Dodani, and Tunde Adebimpe. Chung, who gained acclaim with the Steven Yeun-starrer Minari, directs from a script by Mark L. Smith.
Producing Twisters are Patrick Crowley, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. The film’s release comes a week before Marvel and Disney’s highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine.
