‘Twisters’ storms into theaters, tops box office with $80.5 million

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

LOS ANGELES – “Twisters” stormed into theaters with gale force this weekend, grossing $80.5 million to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The sequel to 1996’s hit “Twister” was directed by Lee Isaac Chung, and stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as storm chasers who follow tornados in the Midwest.

“Despicable Me 4” slipped to second place after spending its first two weeks in the No. 1 spot, taking in $23.8 million Friday through Sunday, Comscore reported.

“Inside Out 2” was third with $12.8 million in its sixth week.

The horror film “Longlegs” was fourth with $11.7 million in its second week, followed by “A Quiet Place: Day One” with $6.1 million in its fourth week.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Fly Me to the Moon” ($3.3 million), “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ($2.6 million), “Bad Newz” ($1 million), “MaXXXine” ($819,242) and “The Bikeriders” ($700,000).

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $147.2 million. The year-to-date total is $4.332 billion – down 17 percent from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

The standalone sequel to the 1996 hit made $80.5 million in ticket sales from 4,151 theaters in North America. That’s about $30 million more than analysts expected initially, and makes for the biggest opening of a live-action movie yet this summer.

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.

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 percent of moviegoers polled by PostTrack said actor Glen Powell was a main draw.

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. (With CNS report)