Twisters (film)

Last updated

Twisters
Twisters Official US Theatrical Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Screenplay by Mark L. Smith
Story by Joseph Kosinski
Based on
Characters
by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Dan Mindel
Edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire
Music by Benjamin Wallfisch
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Universal Pictures (United States and Canada)
  • Warner Bros. Pictures (International)
Release dates
Running time
122 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$155 million
Box office$371 million [2] [3]

Twisters is a 2024 American disaster film directed by Lee Isaac Chung from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, based on a story by Joseph Kosinski. Serving as a standalone sequel to Twister (1996), it stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, and Sasha Lane. It follows clashing groups of storm chasers who investigate a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma.

Contents

Talks for a sequel to Twister began in 2020, with Kosinski pitching an idea to Universal and Helen Hunt, who starred in the original, also expressing interest in a follow-up that was ultimately rejected. Several directors were approached before Chung was hired in December 2022. The cast joined in early-2023 and filming taking place around Oklahoma that summer, with a brief hiatus due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Twisters premiered at the Cineworld Leicester Square in London on July 8, 2024, and was released internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 10 and in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on July 19. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $371 million worldwide.

Plot

Meteorology student Kate Carter works in Oklahoma with storm chasers Javi, Addy, Praveen, and her boyfriend, Jeb, to test a theory that launching sodium polyacrylate beads into a tornado might reduce its intensity. The attempt is unsuccessful as the tornado suddenly intensifies into an EF5, killing Jeb, Addy, and Praveen while Javi and Kate survive. Wracked with guilt, Kate quits storm chasing.

Five years later, Kate works at a NOAA office in New York City. Javi, working for mobile tornado radar company Storm Par, offers Kate a position with his team to test a new tornado scanning system using phased-array radar. Kate initially declines but accepts after Javi sends a news report about a tornado that destroyed a town. Kate and Javi join the Storm Par team in Oklahoma, including Javi's business partner Scott. Popular YouTube storm chaser Tyler Owens, known as the "Tornado Wrangler", also arrives from Arkansas looking to capitalize on a predicted tornado outbreak. Tyler is joined by his crew of Boone, Dani, Dexter, and Lily, as well as British journalist Ben.

Storm Par and Tyler's crew chase an EF1 tornado that touched down in a nearby wind farm, which the Storm Par team intend to scan using three radar scanners. Kate suffers a panic attack, rendering her unable to help Javi set up the final scanner. The next day, the team tracks a storm that produces another EF1 and a satellite that splits off. Storm Par chases the satellite as it intensifies into an EF3 and takes out one of the scanners. Kate and Javi barely escape and drive to the nearby tornado-ravaged town of Crystal Springs to help recovery efforts, along with Tyler's crew. Having initially dismissed Tyler and his team as glory hounds, Kate is surprised to learn they use merchandise profits to aid tornado victims while Storm Par investor Marshall Riggs profiteers from Storm Par's work by purchasing tornado-damaged land at low prices to re-sell them later for exorbitant amounts.

That night, Tyler invites Kate to a nearby rodeo in Stillwater. When an EF4 tornado hits the area, Kate, Tyler, and others take shelter in an empty motel pool. In the aftermath, Kate confronts Javi about Riggs' intentions, causing an offended Javi to blame her for their friends' deaths. Distraught, Kate retreats to her mother's farm in Sapulpa. Tyler follows her and uncovers Kate's past research. Kate initially declines Tyler's offer to help retry the experiment but later accepts when Tyler points out it can still give people a fighting chance against tornadoes. The next day, they release the beads into a passing tornado, but it fails to dissipate. Using data scans provided by an apologetic Javi, Kate hypothesizes a change in the experiment to correct a previous oversight, namely adding silver iodide.

The team tracks a tornado near El Reno. The tornado becomes rain-wrapped and nearly hits Javi and Scott, who escape as the tornado catches fire from hitting an oil refinery. The tornado explodes in size, becoming a mile-wide EF5 that begins shifting towards El Reno. As Kate and the Wranglers head into town, Javi abandons Scott, quits his partnership with Riggs and Storm Par, and heads to El Reno after finally realizing how callous Riggs and his team are.

Kate, Tyler, and their team, learning that shelters are full, evacuate the remaining townspeople into a movie theater when a derailed streetcar and debris traps Tyler. As Kate struggles to free him, Javi arrives to help save Tyler. With no basement to take shelter in and the tornado heading straight for the theater, Kate drives Tyler's truck into the tornado's center. She fires the silver iodide into it, and after a brief struggle with the controls, she successfully launches the polyacrylite beads. The tornado rips the theater open, nearly pulling Lily and Tyler out as the measures take effect and the tornado dissipates.

Sometime later, as Kate waits at the airport for her flight back to New York City, Tyler shows up and attempts to persuade Kate to stay in Oklahoma. Upon learning a tornado has delayed her flight, Kate departs with Tyler to storm chase. A closing montage shows that Ben's story focused on Kate and that Kate, Tyler, and Javi have started a new tornado radar business.

Cast

Production

Development

In 2020, Joseph Kosinski met with Amblin Entertainment and the Kennedy/Marshall Company to pitch a follow-up to the 1996 film Twister revolving around a "new generation" of storm chasers. [4] : 5  In June 2020, Universal Pictures announced it was meeting with writers to develop the reboot, with Frank Marshall attached as a producer and Kosinski in early negotiations as director. [5] Around the same time, the studio rejected plans from Twister actress Helen Hunt to direct a sequel. That version, written by Hunt, Rafael Casal, and Daveed Diggs, who collaborated on the television series Blindspotting , would have followed "all black and brown storm chasers", members of a rocket science club at a historically black college and university. [6] [7] In October 2022, Amblin, Universal, and Warner Bros. met with directors for Twisters, a sequel being fast-tracked for an early 2023 production start after Steven Spielberg, an executive producer of the original film, expressed enthusiasm for a script by Mark L. Smith. Filmmaking couple Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Travis Knight, and Dan Trachtenberg were in talks to helm the project, Kosinski having dropped out to direct F1 (2025). The studio reportedly wanted Hunt to reprise her role, with the hopes of the story focusing on the daughter of her and Bill Paxton's characters. [8]

The studio film Twisters was director Lee Isaac Chung's next film after the indie drama Minari. Both films were shot in Oklahoma. Lee Isaac Chung VOA interview.png
The studio film Twisters was director Lee Isaac Chung's next film after the indie drama Minari. Both films were shot in Oklahoma.

In December 2022, Lee Isaac Chung was hired to direct the now standalone sequel. [10] Chung's pitch to Marshall, Spielberg, and executive producer Jay Sandberg included a presentation that intercut footage from Twister and his own Minari , a semi-autobiographical indie drama that cost $2 million, specifically a scene in which characters experience a tornado watch. [9] [11] [12] Chung credited his time at Lucasfilm directing an episode of The Mandalorian as accustoming him to projects with visual effects and noted growing up in tornado alley as inspiration. [11] [13] In preparation for Twisters, he revisited the original film; Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and War of the Worlds (2005) (described by him as "movies about powerful forces of nature or monstrous things coming at you or looming above you"); "driving movies" such as The French Connection (1971) and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000); and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) and Ran (1985) (for inspiration in capturing weather through camera movement). [4] : 9  [14] Character dynamics were influenced by the films of Frank Capra and Howard Hawks, especially It Happened One Night (1934) and The Big Sky (1952). [12] [15] Chung was inspired to approach Glen Powell for a lead role after seeing an appearance of his on an episode of the morning show Today ; Powell was contacted while filming Anyone but You (2023) in Australia to do a chemistry read with Daisy Edgar-Jones over Zoom. [4] : 13–14  [16] Edgar-Jones suggested that her character, Kate, have a camera, in reference to the documentary Fire of Love (2022) about volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft; the character was partially inspired by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939). [14] Cast members attended a "weather boot camp" to learn about tornadoes from meteorologists and storm chasers. The program was organized by meteorologist and former NOAA analyst Kevin Kelleher, a technical advisor on both Twister films. [4] : 6, 12  [17] Paxton's son, James, has a cameo as a motel guest who tries driving away from a tornado. [18] [19]

Filming

Principal photography was initially set for the state of Georgia, outside Atlanta, for budgetary reasons. Instead, it commenced in May 2023 in Oklahoma, where the story takes place, marking Chung's return to the state after Minari. [4] : 9–10  [20] [21] The move cost the crew work days and resulted in the removal of some storm sequences. [21] Filming was to take place at Prairie Surf Studios for 40 days and in metro Oklahoma City for 50 days. [22] Ultimately, the shoot took 60 days, approximately 70 percent of which was spent capturing driving scenes. [4] : 9  [17] Other locations included the towns of Burbank, Calumet, Cashion, Chickasha, Fairview, Hinton, Kingfisher, Kremlin, El Reno, Midwest City, Okarche, Pawhuska, and Spencer. [22] [23] Filming was suspended in July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. [24] As six weeks of prep time were necessary to resume production, despite only having three weeks of material to film, the crew began prepping sets before the strike was over. [4] : 11  Production resumed with the strike's conclusion in November and wrapped the following month. [25] [26] Dan Mindel was the cinematographer. [4] : 29  Patrick Sullivan, who worked on the original film's art department, was the production designer. [4] : 22 

Twisters was shot on 35 mm film, at Chung's request after receiving support from Spielberg and Mindel, with Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 and handheld Arriflex 435 and 235 cameras from Arri, using Panavision T-Series, C-Series and Primo anamorphic lenses. [4] : 30  [11] In preparation for the film, Mindel watched Westerns, road films, and films produced during the Golden Age of Hollywood set in rural America. He listed The Last Picture Show (1971) as an influence on the film's "Americana" style. Dailies were processed in Los Angeles, so the crew could not review their footage for several days. To maintain continuity, Mindel aimed to film under overcast weather, unless the script asked for blue skies. [4] : 30  Because the shoot occurred during tornado season, delays were frequent. [27] "It was happening every three days or so," Chung recalled, "We were always getting shut down—lightning, wind storms, and then storms that were producing tornadoes came through as well." [28] Challenges arose in El Reno due to heat waves, lightning storms, and strong winds, as well as the presence of "a jet engine on set that you could barely talk over" and the need for a bright, hot key light to produce the "feeling of a storm-like sky", according to Chung. [21] A set of an El Reno farmer's market was destroyed by a storm with 80-mile-per-hour winds, forcing the crew to rebuild it so they could destroy it again for a scene. [4] : 26–27  [27] A former military meteorologist was hired to monitor weather conditions with a squad of radar watchers, and film safety experts enforced protocols for shutting down production and sheltering when necessary. [4] : 10–11 

The prologue was shot during the first week. It utilized practical effects such as hail, rain, and wind machines to simulate the storm, though the overpass that characters hide under was enclosed in blue screen. While parts of the sequence were filmed on location, the overpass was rebuilt on a makeshift studio backlot near Prairie Surf Studios. [4] : 21, 28  Three locations—Crystal Springs, Stillwater, and El Reno–are ravaged in the film by tornadoes. Scenes set in El Reno were filmed on location, while a 4-block stretch of land in Chickasha stood in for Crystal Springs and Midwest City portrayed Stillwater. [4] : 23–27  Early versions of the script had the Stillwater tornado surround a college baseball game, but Chung suggested changing it to a rodeo. [4] : 24  The pool of the motel where characters take shelter was constructed for the film; a hole was dug out of the motel's lawn and, since the pool is empty, no plumbing was required. After the shoot, the pool was removed and the hole was filled to restore the lawn. [4] : 26  The theater sequence was shot on soundstages at Prairie Surf, using vintage seats from a closed Colorado movie theater; exterior shots were filmed in El Reno. [4] : 27  [12] It was Chung's decision for the characters to be viewing Frankenstein (1931), a reference to Universal's "monsters" franchise. [12] [29] Kate's mother's farmhouse was located in the town of Howe. The accompanying barn was initially a metal shed, which the art department skinned with wood from Missouri to resemble an Oklahoma barn. The barn's interior was built at Prairie Surf. [4] : 27  Two versions of the ending were filmed; one where Kate and Tyler kiss, and the one in the film, in which they do not. Spielberg suggested the non-kiss take to solidify that Kate's character arc was about her returning passion for storm chasing. [30] [31]

Post-production

The film's tornadoes were created using special and visual effects, referencing footage of supercell clouds and real tornadoes shot by technical consultants, including storm chaser Sean Casey. The tornado in the finale was inspired by the 2013 El Reno tornado, the 2021 Western Kentucky tornado, and a wedge tornado that struck Kansas in 2023. [4] : 33–34  [12] Scott R. Fisher and Ben Snow were the special and visual effects supervisors, respectively. Special effects included wind fans running at around 70 miles per hour; two jet engines operating further away from the sets at 170-to-180 miles per hour; dump tanks; high-pressure pneumatic water cannons; and polyacrylamide for hail. Visual effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic. [4] : 34–35  Terilyn A. Shropshire was the editor. [32] Chung said the most challenging part about making Twisters was balancing the tone because he wanted to entertain audiences while simultaneously taking the natural disasters seriously due to their real-world impacts. [21] In June 2023, amid filming, The Oklahoman reported the production budget for Twisters as nearing $200 million. [22] In July 2024, the budget was listed as $155 million before print and advertising costs. [33] [34]

Music

Benjamin Wallfisch composed the film's score. [35] The soundtrack, Twisters: The Album , was released on July 19, 2024, on CD, LP, and digital download by Atlantic Records. [36] [37] It features 29 songs from primarily country acts, including Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Moroney, Tucker Wetmore, Tanner Adell, Jelly Roll, and others. [38] [39] Combs' "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" led the soundtrack as a single on May 16, with few singles released in the subsequent weeks prior to the film's release. [38]

Release

Twisters premiered at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on July 8, 2024. Notably attending the event was Tom Cruise, who worked with Powell on Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. [40] The film also screened at the Taormina Film Fest in Italy in July 2024. [41] The film was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on July 19, 2024, and early in some international markets by Warner Bros. Pictures, beginning on July 10. [42] [43] It was also released through digital formats on August 13, 2024, [44] and on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (both under Studio Distribution Services) on October 22. [45]

Marketing

The Twisters soundtrack accumulated over 175 million streams between May 29 and its theatrical release; Universal released one song per week for ten weeks, then a song per day the final week. In addition, the studio partnered with radio personality Bobby Bones. Sporting events were significant in raising awareness to the film. Universal worked with NASCAR for co-branded promo as well as MLB, Copa América, and WWE. The 30-second television spot broadcast during Super Bowl LVIII amassed 29.2 million views in a day and was among the year's most-watched Super Bowl trailers. Commercials for the film aired during events for All Elite Wrestling, NASCAR, the Olympic Trials, UEFA Euro Cup, UFC, and the WNBA. Universal strategically put tickets on sales during the first game of the 2024 NBA Finals, made content with Dodge RAM and Wrangler, and had the cast participate in a cross-country promotional tour that exceeded New York and Los Angeles and made stops in Dallas, Chicago, and Miami. Special screenings were held in Oklahoma and military bases, and discussions were held between the cast and meteorologists. As a result of the marketing, Deadline Hollywood noted that the film's top-grossing cities during its opening weekend were Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio, and that theater chains in Middle America like B&B Theatres and Santikos Theatres surged over annual norms. [46] The publication also said the film's "not political" standing (by not referring to climate change) appealed to "red states"; despite it, PostTrak reported that of opening weekend moviegoers, 16% were registered Democrats while 7% were registered Republicans. The highest-grossing theater that weekend was Regal Warren in Moore, Oklahoma, at over $130,000. [34]

Reception

Box office

Twisters grossed $267.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $103.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $371 million. [2] [3]

In the United States and Canada, Twisters was projected to gross $40–55 million from 4,151 theaters in its opening weekend. [33] [47] After it made $32.1 million on its first day, [48] including an estimated $10.7 million from Wednesday and Thursday previews, projections were raised to $75 million. It went on to debut to $81.3 million, [49] the best-ever opening weekend for a natural disaster film, surpassing The Day After Tomorrow (2004). [34] [50] At the time, the film had the third-highest opening weekend of 2024, behind Inside Out 2 ($154.2 million) and Dune: Part Two ($82.5 million). [51] Of that opening, $2.1 million came from 4DX screenings, a record for the format, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023); this record was surpassed the following week by Deadpool & Wolverine . [52] [53] [54]

Because of its success in the format, Twisters returned to 4DX theaters alongside the original film from August 30 to September 5. [54] The film earned $35 million and $22.8 million in its second and third weekends, respectively, both times behind Deadpool & Wolverine. [55] [56] During its seventh weekend, as the film was released on PVOD, the film ranked number three at the box office and experienced a 27% box office increase from the previous week. [57] [58] The film's domestic performance was credited to Universal's marketing, which sold the movie on Powell's star power and the option to see the film on 4DX; of its total earnings, only 27.8% came from international markets. [59]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 75% of 389 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Summoning a storm of spectacle and carried along by the gale force winds of Glen Powell's charisma, Twisters' forecast is splendid with a high chance of thrills." [60] According to the website, critics felt that Chung added "more substance" to the film and praised the film's visuals and "unexpectedly well-handled romantic twist", calling it a "rousing piece of summer blockbuster cinema". [61] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 57 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [62] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same score as the first film, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it 4.5 out of five stars. [34]

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave it a score of five out of five, writing that it "vastly improves on [the original] in all regards". [63] Writing for Entertainment Weekly , Jordan Hoffman gave the film a "A-" grade, saying "There's a ton of technobabble that you have to take on faith, but Jones and Powell do more than sell it; they make it compelling". [64] IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave the film a "B+" grade and said "And for all of the unearned goodwill that Twisters extends to viral content creators, it still makes one of this summer's most emphatic arguments in favor of the big screen experience". [65] Donald Clarke of The Irish Times gave it a rating of three out of five, explaining that "A sequel, while no masterpiece, feels perfectly serviceable in the era of lore-addicted trash such as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ". [66]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety gave the film a mixed review. He praised the performances of Powell and Edgar-Jones, but suggested the film was not as innovative as the original film given the prevalence of the Internet and actual videos of tornadoes freely available. He wrote, "Staring up at the tornadoes in Twisters, I felt like I'd already seen something exactly like them — and that when it comes to footage of actual tornadoes, I'd already seen something more incredible". [67]

Scientific accuracy

The producers of Twisters consulted with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during development, with the federal agency contributing logos and props. [68] The agency added that its contribution to scientific accuracy was only reflected "in some parts" of the film. A scientific review in The New York Times pointed out impossibilities with the film's mechanism for dissipating tornadoes, observing that the method suggested would require many tons of the chemicals used and require a much longer period. [69] A professor at Texas A&M University also remarked: "it's highly unlikely that the small-scale methods depicted in the movie would have any real impact on tornadoes. To my knowledge, no one is actively pursuing such an approach". [70] An article in Wired noted that the "twin" tornadoes featured in the film do occur in real-life as multiple-vortex tornadoes, drawing comparison to the Dunlap, Indiana tornado during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. [71]

Writer Margaret Renkl criticized the film for not mentioning the link between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of tornadoes. [72] Despite Smith's intent for the screenplay to incorporate the effects of climate change, Chung explained his decision to avoid explicitly referring to climate change as wanting "to make sure that we are never creating a feeling that we're preaching a message." [73] [74] According to Chung, Universal wanted him to put forward a clear message about climate change, but scientific advisors on the project suggested that he be more measured, because the link between tornado severity and climate change remains unclear. [75] [76]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 20, 2024 Best Original Song – Feature Film Luke Dick, Shane McAnally & Lainey Wilson ("Out of Oklahoma")Nominated [77]
Music Supervision – Film Rachel LevyNominated
Soundtrack Album Twisters: The Album Nominated
Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards December 8, 2024 Best Action or Science Fiction FeatureTwistersNominated [78]
December 8, 2024 Best Visual EffectsNominated
Golden Globe Awards January 5, 2025 Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Pending [79]
Satellite Awards January 26, 2025 Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) Christopher Boyes, Pete Horner, Al Nelson, and Bjørn Ole SchroederPending [80]
Saturn Awards February 2, 2025 Best Action or Adventure Film TwistersPending [81]
Best Film Special Effects Pending
Society of Composers & Lyricists February 12, 2025 Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media ProductionLainey Wilson, Luke Dick, Shane McAnally ("Out of Oklahoma")Pending [82]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Reno, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

El Reno is a city in and the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after the 1889 land rush and named for the nearby Fort Reno. It is located in Central Oklahoma, about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown Oklahoma City.

<i>Twister</i> (1996 film) American film by Jan de Bont

Twister is a 1996 American disaster film directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin. It was produced by Crichton, Kathleen Kennedy, and Ian Bryce, with Steven Spielberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Gerald R. Molen serving as executive producers. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, and Cary Elwes. It follows a group of storm chasers trying to deploy a tornado research device during a severe outbreak in Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm chasing</span> Pursuit of any severe weather condition

Storm chasing is broadly defined as the deliberate pursuit of any severe weather phenomenon, regardless of motive, but most commonly for curiosity, adventure, scientific investigation, or for news or media coverage. A person who chases storms is known as a storm chaser.

Thomas P. Grazulis is an American meteorologist who has written extensively about tornadoes and produced documentaries as head of The Tornado Project.

Tornado damage to human-made structures is a result of the high wind velocity and windblown debris. Tornadic winds have been measured in excess of 300 mph (480 km/h). Tornadoes are a serious hazard to life and limb. As such, people in tornado-prone areas often adopt plans of action in case a tornado approaches.

<i>Storm Chasers</i> (TV series) American documentary television series

Storm Chasers is an American documentary reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2007, on the Discovery Channel. Produced by Original Media, the program follows several teams of storm chasers as they attempt to intercept tornadoes in Tornado Alley in the United States. The show was canceled at the end of its 5th season by Discovery Communications on January 21, 2012.

<i>Twister</i>...Ride It Out Defunct theme park attraction

Twister...Ride It Out was an indoor special effects attraction based on the 1996 film Twister, located in the New York themed area at Universal Studios Florida. It replaced Ghostbusters Spooktacular and opened to the general public on May 4, 1998. Hosts Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, stars from the original film, were featured in recorded video footage and audio narrations throughout the attraction. Guests experienced a life-like encounter with a simulated tornado in the main show area which included water, fire, and the movement of objects across the stage among other audio and visual effects. Declining popularity due to a lack of long-term cultural significance led to the attraction's permanent closure on November 2, 2015. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon opened in its place two years later in 2017.

Tony Laubach is an American storm chaser and meteorologist. He has participated in several field research projects and is one of the surviving members of TWISTEX. He has been contracted as a severe weather photojournalist for various major television networks, and has starred in several television shows, including Seasons 3 through 5 of Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Kosinski</span> American film director

Joseph Kosinski is an American film director, best known for his computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) work, and for his work in action films. He has directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Spiderhead (2022). His previous work has primarily been with CGI-related television commercials including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.

Reed Timmer is an American meteorologist and storm chaser. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he took an interest in science, including weather, at a young age, before experiencing severe weather, including a hailstorm at age 13. After presenting weather forecasts at his high school, he began studying meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, completing his PhD in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Powell</span> American actor (born 1988)

Glen Thomas Powell Jr. is an American actor. He began his career with small roles on television and in films such as Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and Fast Food Nation (2006). Powell had roles in the comedy-horror series Scream Queens (2015–2016), the teen comedy Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), and the romantic comedy Set It Up (2018). He also portrayed astronaut John Glenn in Hidden Figures (2016) and aviator Tom Hudner in Devotion (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Casey (filmmaker)</span> American IMAX filmmaker and storm chaser

Sean Cameron Casey is an American IMAX filmmaker and storm chaser who appeared in the Discovery Channel reality television series Storm Chasers. Casey created an IMAX film called Tornado Alley about chasing tornadoes and had to build the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) and the Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2 (TIV2) to film inside a tornado. Tornado Alley was released worldwide on March 18, 2011. Casey has been named one of the 50 best minds of 2008 by Discover Magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Isaac Chung</span> American film director and screenwriter (born 1978)

Lee Isaac Chung is an American filmmaker. His debut feature Munyurangabo (2007) was an official selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the first narrative feature film in the Kinyarwanda language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of May 26–31, 2013</span> Tornado outbreak in the United States

A prolonged and widespread tornado outbreak affected a large portion of the United States in late-May 2013 and early-June 2013. The outbreak was the result of a slow-moving but powerful storm system that produced several strong tornadoes across the Great Plains states, especially in Kansas and Oklahoma. Other strong tornadoes caused severe damage in Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan. The outbreak extended as far east as Upstate New York. 27 fatalities were reported in total, with nine resulting from tornadoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Samaras</span> American engineer and storm chaser

Timothy Michael Samaras was an American engineer and storm chaser best known for his field research on tornadoes and time on the Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers. He died in the 2013 El Reno tornado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 El Reno tornado</span> Widest and second-strongest tornado ever recorded

The 2013 El Reno tornado was an extremely large, powerful, and erratic tornado that occurred over rural areas of Central Oklahoma during the early evening of Friday, May 31, 2013. This rain-wrapped, multiple-vortex tornado was the widest tornado ever recorded and was part of a larger weather system that produced dozens of tornadoes over the preceding days. The tornado initially touched down at 6:03 p.m. Central Daylight Time (2303 UTC) about 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west-southwest of El Reno, rapidly growing in size and becoming more violent as it tracked through central portions of Canadian County. Remaining over mostly open terrain, the tornado did not impact many structures; however, measurements from mobile weather radars revealed extreme winds in excess of 313 mph (504 km/h) within the vortex. These are among the highest observed wind speeds on Earth, just slightly lower than the wind speeds of the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado. As it crossed U.S. 81, it had grown to a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), beating the previous width record set in 2004. Turning northeastward, the tornado soon weakened. Upon crossing Interstate 40, the tornado dissipated around 6:43 p.m. CDT (2343 UTC), after tracking for 16.2 miles (26.1 km), it avoided affecting the more densely populated areas near and within the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

<i>Sharknado</i> 2013 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado is a 2013 American made-for-television science fiction comedy disaster film directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. It tells about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles. It is the first installment in the Sharknado film series. The movie first aired on the Syfy channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and John Heard. It was also given a one-night-only special midnight theatrical screening via Regal Cinemas and Fathom Events, where it earned $200,000 from 200 screenings. The over-the-top premise and theatrics of the film quickly earned it a cult following.

<i>Into the Storm</i> (2014 film) 2014 found footage disaster film by Steven Quale

Into the Storm is a 2014 American found footage disaster film directed by Steven Quale, written by John Swetnam, and starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Arlen Escarpeta. It is a meteorological disaster film about a rash of tornadoes striking the fictional town of Silverton, Oklahoma.

<i>Twisters: The Album</i> 2024 soundtrack album by various artists

Twisters: The Album is the soundtrack to the 2024 film Twisters directed by Lee Isaac Chung, a standalone sequel to Twister (1996). It was released through Atlantic Records on July 19, 2024, the same day as the North American theatrical release and featured 29 songs from country music artists. The album is produced by Kevin Weaver, Brandon Davis, Ian Cripps and Joseph Khoury.

<i>Twisters</i> (score) 2024 film score by Benjamin Wallfisch

Twisters (Original Motion Picture Score) is the score album to the 2024 film Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung from the story and screenplay by Joseph Kosinski and Mark L. Smith, respectively; a standalone sequel to Twister (1996), the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos amongst others. The film score is composed by Benjamin Wallfisch and released through Back Lot Music on August 2, 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Twisters (12A)". BBFC . July 5, 2024. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Twisters". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Twisters (2024)". The Numbers . Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Twisters Production Notes". Universal Pictures Publicity. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 24, 2020). "Twister Reboot in the Works at Universal With Joseph Kosinski Eyed to Direct (Exclusive)". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ Moss, Kyle (June 11, 2021). "Helen Hunt says her idea for a Twister sequel featuring 'all Black and brown storm chasers' was rejected". Yahoo Entertainment . Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (April 12, 2023). "Daveed Diggs says the Twister sequel he was developing with Helen Hunt didn't get made due to 'potentially shady' reasons". Business Insider . Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 17, 2022). "The Dish: Twisters Forecast For Spring Start As Universal, Amblin Finalize Director For Sequel". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Zacharek, Stephanie (July 17, 2024). "Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters' Success". TIME . Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  10. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (December 15, 2022). "Lee Isaac Chung in Talks to Direct Twisters Sequel". The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 Davids, Brian (July 17, 2024). "Twisters Director Lee Isaac Chung Talks Steven Spielberg's Big Assist and How Star Wars Helped Him Land the Job". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Chang, Justin (July 14, 2024). "Lee Isaac Chung's Upward Spiral" . Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (July 15, 2024). "Why Lee Isaac Chung Went from Minari to Twisters: Big-Screen 'Filmmakers Have a Responsibility to Prove This Art Form Is Good'". IndieWire . Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Twisters Director Reveals the Inspirations Behind the Film" . Vanity Fair . July 23, 2024. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Bria, Bill (July 19, 2024). "Twisters Director Was Afraid To Take The Job, But That Fear Lit A Fire Under Him [Exclusive]". /Film . Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  16. ↑ Horowitz, Josh (July 22, 2024). Daisy Edgar-Jones & Glen Powell talk Twisters, Normal People, Tom Cruise, brat girl summer. Happy Sad Confused. Event occurs at 37:29. Retrieved July 22, 2024– via YouTube.
  17. 1 2 McDonnell, Brandy (July 20, 2024). "Twisters tornado consultant and director talk about film's stormy real-life inspirations". The Oklahoman . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  18. ↑ Murphy, Mekado (July 19, 2024). "Twisters | Anatomy of a Scene" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (July 11, 2024). "How Bill Paxton's Son James Ended Up in a Twisters Cameo: 'I Wanted to Be a Conduit for Dad's Spirit'". Variety . Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Parts Of Downtown Oklahoma City Transform Into NYC For New Twister Movie". KWTV-DT . Griffin Media. May 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 4 O'Connell, Mikey (July 16, 2024). "Lee Isaac Chung Says Twisters Is a Road Movie... With Tornadoes". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  22. 1 2 3 Hayes, Jana; McDonnell, Brandy (June 24, 2023). "Could Twisters and this independent movie get paid back for filming in Oklahoma City?". The Oklahoman . Gannett. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  23. ↑ Tramel, Jimmie (July 19, 2024). "Twisters: See all our coverage of the shot-in-Oklahoma movie here" . Tulsa World . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  24. ↑ Gonzalez, Umberto (July 14, 2023). "Here Are All The Movies Affected by the SAG-AFTRA Strike From Deadpool 3 to Mission: Impossible 8 (Photos)". TheWrap . Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ Sperling, Nicole (November 9, 2023). "Getting Hollywood Back Up and Running Won't Be Easy". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  26. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (December 22, 2023). "How Glen Powell Charmed Hollywood". Vogue . Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  27. 1 2 Breznican, Anthony (July 18, 2024). "How Real Tornados Tormented the Making of Twisters" . Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Twisters director admits cast and crew battled real tornadoes during filming". The Clay Center and Clay County Dispatch. July 16, 2024. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  29. ↑ Kovacs, Gabriel (July 19, 2024). "Twisters Director Lee Isaac Chung Talks Meeting Steven Spielberg, Special Effects & More | ReelBlend Interview". CinemaBlend . Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  30. ↑ Gomez, Patrick (July 19, 2021). "Twisters ending explained: The alternate shot you didn't see — and why (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  31. ↑ Jones, Tamera; Weintraub, Steven (July 20, 2024). "Glen Powell Reveals Steven Spielberg's Twisters Note That Changed the Ending". Collider . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  32. ↑ Hemphill, Jim (July 21, 2024). "Twisters Editing Had to Balance Humanity and Spectacle". IndieWire . Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  33. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (July 17, 2024). "Box Office: Twisters Aims to Stir Up $55 Million Debut". Variety . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  34. 1 2 3 4 D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "'Twisters' Even Bigger With $81M+ Opening – Monday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Benjamin Wallfisch to Score Lee Isaac Chung's 'Twisters'". Film Music Reporter. April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Twisters: The Album". Atlantic Records . Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Twisters: The Album – Album by Various Artists". Apple Music. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  38. 1 2 Anderson, Liza (May 16, 2024). "Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert & More Featured On Forthcoming 'Twisters: The Album'". Music Row. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  39. ↑ Nicholson, Jessica (May 16, 2024). "Luke Combs, Jelly Roll & More Share New Music For Twisters Movie Companion Album". Billboard . Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  40. ↑ Gardner, Chris (July 8, 2024). "Tom Cruise Attends Twisters Premiere to Support Top Gun Pal Glen Powell". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  41. ↑ Ntim, Zac (June 5, 2024). "Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters To Screen At Italy's Taormina Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  42. ↑ Grobar, Matt (December 20, 2022). "'Twisters' From Director Lee Isaac Chung Gets Universal Release Date". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  43. ↑ McPherson, Chris (July 14, 2024). "'Twisters' Blows Away Expectations at International Box Office". Collider. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  44. ↑ Mathai, Jeremy (August 12, 2024). "How To Watch Twisters At Home". /Film . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  45. ↑ Lammers, Tim (October 20, 2024). "Twisters Debuts On 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray And DVD This Week". Forbes . Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  46. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 21, 2024). "How Universal Burned A Swath Through The Heartland & South, 'Sold Fun' & Propelled Twisters To $80M+ Opening – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  47. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (July 17, 2024). "Box Office: Twisters Hopes to Whip Up Category 5 Storm in U.S. Debut". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  48. ↑ "Domestic Box Office For Jul 19, 2024". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  49. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 29". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  50. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Couch, Aaron (July 21, 2024). "Box Office: Twisters Whips Up Huge Storm With Record $80.5M Domestic Opening". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  51. ↑ "Is 'Twisters' In 4DX Worth It? Why The Screening Experience Is Going Viral". Forbes .
  52. ↑ "'Twisters' Breaks Yet Another Box Office Record". Collider . July 22, 2024.
  53. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (July 22, 2024). "Twisters Box Office: How 4DX Screenings and Midwestern Moviegoers Propelled the Sequel to Blockbuster Status". Variety . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  54. 1 2 Shanfeld, Ethan (August 15, 2024). "With Twisters, 4DX Finally Swept America. Where Does Hollywood Go From Here?". Variety . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  55. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 30". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 31". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  57. ↑ McPherson, Chris (September 1, 2024). "'Twisters' Posts Incredible Increase at Domestic Box Office as 4DX Screenings Sell Out Nationwide". Collider. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  58. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 35". Box Office Mojo . September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  59. ↑ Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (December 18, 2024). "Why Big Hits Like Wicked, Beetlejuice 2 and Twisters Still Struggled at the International Box Office". Variety . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  60. ↑ "Twisters". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 21, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  61. ↑ Campbell, Christopher (July 11, 2024). "Twisters First Reviews: Thrilling, Immersive, and Surprisingly Full of Heart". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  62. ↑ "Twisters". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  63. ↑ Collin, Robbie (July 10, 2024). "Twisters: The best cinematic experience since Top Gun: Maverick". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  64. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (July 10, 2024). "Twisters is hot, dumb, and fun — like a great summer movie should be". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  65. ↑ Ehrlich, David (July 10, 2024). "Twisters Review: Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones Deliver Classic Amblin Thrills in One of the Most Satisfying Movies of the Summer". IndieWire . Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  66. ↑ Clarke, Donald (July 17, 2024). "Twisters review: This big fat summer movie isn't half bad. Yeehaw!". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  67. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (July 10, 2024). "Twisters Review: Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones Lead a Sequel Full of State-of-the-Art Storms, but It's Less Awesome Than the Original". Variety . Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  68. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "'Twisters' movie: NOAA tornado science and staff behind the scenes". www.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  69. ↑ Jones, Judson; Sterchi, Reto (July 19, 2024). "In 'Twisters,' Storm Chasers Want to Disrupt a Tornado. Is That Possible?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  70. ↑ Hawkins, Grant (July 24, 2024). "Twisters And Atmospheric Sciences: Fact Vs. Fiction". Texas A&M Today. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  71. ↑ Mersereau, Dennis. "What 'Twisters' Gets Right—and Wrong—About Tornado Science". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  72. ↑ Renkl, Margaret (July 29, 2024). "Opinion | 'Twisters' Was a Spectacle That Missed a Huge Opportunity". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  73. ↑ McPherson, Chris (December 15, 2023). "Twisters Won't Be Connected to Twister Despite What You've Heard [Exclusive]". Collider . Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  74. ↑ Page, Thomas (July 16, 2024). "You won't hear about climate change in Twisters. Here's why". CNN . Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  75. ↑ Chang, Justin (July 14, 2024). "Lee Isaac Chung's Upward Spiral". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  76. ↑ Jacobs, Matthew (July 26, 2024). "Lee Isaac Chung Left the Kiss Out of Twisters for a Reason". Vulture. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  77. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by Emilia Pérez and Blitz, With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards . Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  78. ↑ Pond, Steve (November 25, 2024). "Wicked Leads Nominations for Astra Film Awards". TheWrap . Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  79. ↑ Wiseman, Andrews (December 8, 2024). "Golden Globes Nominations Full List Revealed: Emilia Perez Leads In Film & The Bear Leads TV". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  80. ↑ "2024 Nominees | International Press Academy" . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  81. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (December 5, 2024). "Dune: Part Two, Fallout Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  82. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 18, 2024). "Society Of Composers & Lyricists Cues Up 2025 SCL Awards Nominations". Deadline . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.