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146-434: 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

292-524: A Taylor, Michigan Drive in called Ecorse Drive-In. On July 16, 1980, a freak derecho storm with 150 mph straight-line winds swept the Drive-In away leaving only the "now-showing" sign with the letters "Now Playing Gone with the Wind". The screen was rebuilt, but the business never recovered; by 1989, it was sold and now is the site of a Kroger grocery store. Beginning in the late 1970s and extending through

438-495: A grant from Universal Studios allowed development of a mobile radar. Universal also funded the NSSL meteorologists to go on a mobile tour in the eastern half of the country, staging safety presentations at science museums in a dozen major cities. Storm chasing increased even as a recreational activity, with tourism companies creating "chase tours". Bill Paxton later narrated storm chaser Sean Casey 's 2011 documentary Tornado Alley . After

584-461: A 40 by 50 ft (12 by 15 m) screen. He advertised his drive-in theater with the slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are." The first film shown was the Adolphe Menjou film Wives Beware . Failing to make a profit, Hollingshead sold the theater after three years to a Union, New Jersey , theater owner who moved the infrastructure to that city, but

730-406: A Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Charlton Heston , Ava Gardner , Geneviève Bujold , George Kennedy and Lorne Greene . It was noted as the first film to utilize Sensurround , where massive subwoofer speakers were installed in theaters to recreate the vibrating sensation of an earthquake. Several made-for-TV movies also capitalized on

876-627: A catastrophe at a coal mine in North-East England . Inspired by the end of World War II and the beginning of the Atomic Age , science fiction films of the 1950s, including When Worlds Collide (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), routinely used world disasters as plot elements. This trend would continue with The Deadly Mantis (1957), The Day

1022-482: A complex finish. Originally, the movie's sound was provided by speakers on the screen and later by individual speakers hung from the window of each car, which was attached to a small pole by a wire. These speaker systems were superseded by the more practical method of microbroadcasting the soundtrack to car radios. This also has the advantage of the film soundtrack to be heard in stereo on car stereo systems, which are typically of much higher quality and fidelity than

1168-531: A day prior on May 9, 1996. Jan de Bont, Bill Paxton, and Helen Hunt were at the mall for interviews. The film would go on to receive a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America due to "intense depiction of very bad weather". On August 30, 2024, Twister was re-released in theaters nationwide in 4DX , along with Twisters for one week only. Twister was released on LaserDisc and VHS by Warner Home Video on October 1, 1996. It

1314-519: A different movie than the made-for-TV production of same title listed above), starring Jason Robards ; and City on Fire (1979), starring Barry Newman . The Airport series continued with Airport '77 (1977) and The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), with George Kennedy portraying the character Joe Patroni in each sequel, and The Poseidon Adventure was followed by Beyond the Poseidon Adventure in 1979. The genre began to burn out by

1460-569: A ditch and refused to apologize, Burgess and his crew walked off the set, much to the shock of the cast. They remained in place for one more week until Jack N. Green 's crew agreed to replace them. Following the incident, Spielberg angrily flew down to Oklahoma to admonish De Bont for his behavior. Two days before principal filming ended, Green was injured when a hydraulic house set (used in the scene in which Jo and Bill rescue Meg and her dog Mose from her destroyed home in Wakita), designed to collapse on cue,

1606-458: A full-service restaurant with seating on the roof and a trolley system to take children and adults to a playground and a large indoor theater for bad weather or for those who wanted to watch in air-conditioned comfort. The largest in the world was Loew's Open Air in Lynn, Massachusetts which could hold 5,000 cars. Several factors contributed to the decline of the drive-in movie industry. Beginning in

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1752-463: A giant wave triggered by an earthquake. The Poseidon Adventure was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters , and winning for Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects . The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of The Towering Inferno , Earthquake , and Airport 1975 (the first Airport sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at

1898-578: A group of storm chasers trying to deploy a tornado research device during a severe outbreak in Oklahoma . Twister was released in theaters on May 10, 1996, and grossed $ 495.7 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1996 ; it sold an estimated 54.7 million tickets in the United States. It received generally positive reviews from critics and received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound . It

2044-404: A large outdoor movie screen , a projection booth , a concession stand , and a large parking area for automobiles . Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches. The screen can be as simple as a painted white wall, or it can be a steel truss structure with

2190-503: A little bit clumsy". She responded, "Clumsy? The guy burned my retinas, but I'm clumsy ... I thought I was a good sport. I don't know ultimately if Jan chalks me up as that or not, but one would hope so". Jo and Bill inside the F5 tornado was filmed by rolling the set in a gimbal so the ground stood in the ceiling as Hunt and Paxton hung from a metal bar, with the footage then being flipped upside down to appear as if they were being sucked upwards by

2336-421: A low wooden bridge, and was so exhausted from the demanding shoot that she stood up quickly and struck her head on a beam. During one stunt in which Hunt opened the door of a vehicle speeding through a cornfield, she momentarily let go of the door and it struck her on the side of the head. Some sources claim she received a concussion in the incident. De Bont said, "I love Helen to death, but you know, she can be also

2482-473: A mid-air collision; and The Doomsday Flight (1966), written by Rod Serling and starring Edmond O'Brien as a disgruntled aerospace engineer who plants a barometric pressure bomb on an airliner built by his former employer set to explode when the airliner descends for landing. The golden age of the disaster film began in 1970 with the release of Airport . A huge financial success, earning more than $ 100 million ($ 713 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) at

2628-401: A screen to trees in his backyard, he set a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car and put a radio behind the screen, testing different sound levels with his car windows down and up. Blocks under vehicles in the driveway enabled him to determine the size and spacing of ramps so all automobiles could view the screen. Hollingshead applied for a patent of his invention on August 6, 1932, and he

2774-480: A script about storm chasers in Oklahoma called Catch the Wind , and whose case was eventually dismissed. Dorothy was inspired by TOTO , an instrumented barrel-shaped device used to research tornadoes in the 1980s. De Bont pushed to make the dialogue "very energized" to reflect the excitement experienced by storm chasers, adding that the dialogue "gets very stilted very quickly" if it is not "moving forward and energized in

2920-409: A small petting zoo or cage of monkeys, personal appearances by actors to open their movies, or musical groups to play before the show. Some drive-ins held Sunday religious services or charged a flat price per car on slow nights like Wednesdays or Sundays. On "buck" or "bargain" nights during the 1950s and 1960s, the admission price was one dollar per car; during the 1970s and '80s, bargain night admission

3066-493: A soundtrack of rock-music singles, many of which were exclusive releases for the film. Both the soundtrack and the orchestral score featured an instrumental theme song ("Respect the Wind") composed and performed for the film by Alex (his only recording outside of Van Halen ) and Eddie Van Halen . The film's music was released on CD and cassette tape formats. Twister opened on May 10, 1996, earning $ 41.1 million from 2,414 total theaters during its opening weekend, and ranked in

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3212-421: A spinning, fast-moving funnel cloud, which Zargarpour compared to packing together little scoops of ice cream. To compose the sound effects of these twisters, De Bont had recorded a variety of combined sound effects, including lion roars, tiger growls, camel moans, and jet-engine wooshes. Other special effects that were animated with CGI included telephone poles, trees, trucks, tractors, and whole houses. The CGI cow

3358-510: A storm chaser to Melissa, but Bill condemns it responding that he had killed his old personality. The team then scrambles to chase a developing twister that had just been forming. Jo and Bill intercept an F3 with unpredictable movements. It knocks over powerlines that crush Dorothy II. With the truck damaged, Bill forces them to retreat, but Jo undergoes an emotional breakdown over the failure, and unloads about her motivations and her father's death. Bill admits his feelings for Jo, unaware that Melissa

3504-492: A teacup, sums up everything that's right, and wrong, about this appealingly noisy but ultimately flyaway first blockbuster of summer". In his review for the Los Angeles Times , Kenneth Turan wrote, "But the ringmaster of this circus, the man without whom nothing would be possible, is director De Bont, who now must be considered Hollywood's top action specialist. An expert in making audiences squirm and twist, at making us feel

3650-460: A team of storm chasers. Her estranged husband, Bill, an ex-storm chaser turned TV weatherman , travels to Oklahoma with his fiancée Melissa to obtain Jo's signature on their divorce papers. Jo shows Bill the realized "Dorothy", a device containing hundreds of small weather sensors that he conceptualized. Dorothy could revolutionize tornado research and potentially provide an earlier storm-warning system, but

3796-458: A tornado chase, and providing consultations on the script that included discarding an impossible tornado that would last a day and a half to instead go for an outbreak of tornadoes, which could strike at any place at any time, in any location, and with different magnitudes. The production was plagued with problems; Joss Whedon was brought in to rewrite the script through the early spring of 1995. When Whedon contracted bronchitis , Steven Zaillian

3942-399: A total gross of CN¥ 54.5 million. On Rotten Tomatoes , Twister holds an approval rating of 66% based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A high-concept blockbuster that emphasizes special effects over three-dimensional characters, Twister ' s visceral thrills are often offset by the film's generic plot." On Metacritic , the film had

4088-514: A triumph of technology over storytelling and the actors' craft. Characters exist merely to tell a couple of jokes, cower in fear of downdrafts and otherwise kill time between tornadoes". On May 24, 1996, a tornado destroyed Screen No. 3 at the Can-View Drive-In, a drive-in theater in Thorold , Ontario, which was scheduled to show Twister later that evening, in a real-life parallel to a scene in

4234-482: A version of the epic story of the Titanic . The film combined romance with intricate special effects and was a massive success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time for twelve years with over $ 2.2 billion worldwide, and won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director . Drive-in theater A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of

4380-428: A villain to blame. The films usually feature a persevering hero or heroine ( Charlton Heston , Steve McQueen , etc.) called upon to lead the struggle against the threat; in many cases, the "evil" or "selfish" individuals are the first to succumb to the disaster. The genre experienced a renewal in the 1990s boosted by computer-generated imagery and larger studio budgets which allowed for greater spectacle, culminating in

4526-523: A weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, "As drama, Twister resides in the Zone. It has no time to waste on character, situation, dialogue and nuance. The dramatic scenes are holding actions between tornadoes. As spectacle, however, Twister

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4672-453: Is a joint-venture production between Universal, Warner Bros., and Amblin, with Universal handling US and Canadian distribution and Warner handling worldwide distribution. The film was released July 10, 2024. Disaster film These films often feature large casts of actors and multiple plot lines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre came to particular prominence during

4818-446: Is impressive. The tornadoes are big, loud, violent and awesome, and they look great". In her review for The New York Times , Janet Maslin wrote, "Somehow Twister stays as up-tempo and exuberant as a roller-coaster ride, neatly avoiding the idea of real danger". Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" rating, and Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote, "Yet the images that linger longest in my memory are those of windswept livestock. And that, in

4964-431: Is notable for being among the first films to be released on DVD in the United States. A standalone sequel , Twisters , was released on July 19, 2024. On an Oklahoma farm in 1969, young Jo Harding, her parents, and their dog take shelter from an F5 tornado that destroys their farm and kills Jo's father as he tries to secure their cellar door. Twenty-seven years later, Jo is a tornado-obsessed meteorologist leading

5110-501: Is overhearing them through the CB radio. The team overnights in Fairview to repair their vehicles. While there, Jo signs the papers. A nocturnal F4 wedge tornado forces the team and others into a garage pit near a drive-in theater for protection. The tornado destroys the garage and two team vehicles as the result of tossed debris, and injures several people before proceeding toward Wakita. Before

5256-412: Is the last drive-in theater in the state of South Australia (since February 2022). Due to the opal miners often carrying explosives in their vehicles, the drive-in has a ban on bringing explosives onto the site. On 15 November 2023, winds reaching almost 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) destroyed the screen, resulting in the drive-in's closure, but local volunteers hope they will be able to rebuild

5402-518: The COVID-19 pandemic , drive-in theaters reported an unexpected surge in attendance in several U.S. states, as unlike with indoor theaters unable to operate because of bans on mass gatherings , these were allowed to operate, with such events as graduations, because people are automatically separated from each other by their cars, and usually enough space remains to walk around and still practice proper physical distancing . The largest drive-in theater in

5548-518: The Lunar in Dandenong South , is set to close in the second half of 2023. The world's most remote drive-in may be at Coober Pedy , South Australia. It opened in 1965, but became less popular after 1980 with the arrival of television in the town, and ceased regular operation in 1984. It was reopened in 1996, and has been operated by volunteers since 2000. It is still in operation as of May 2023 , and

5694-515: The Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79 AD. John Ford 's The Hurricane (1937) concluded with the striking sequence of a tropical cyclone ripping through a fictional South Pacific island. The drama San Francisco (1936) depicted the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake , while In Old Chicago (1937) recreated The Great Chicago Fire which burned through the city in 1871. Carol Reed 's 1939 film, The Stars Look Down , examines

5840-493: The National Center for Supercomputing Applications . Spielberg himself was originally attached to direct the project, and directors such as James Cameron , John Badham , Tim Burton , and Robert Zemeckis were also in talks to helm the film before Jan de Bont signed on to Twister after leaving Godzilla due to creative differences. De Bont was invited by Spielberg after the success of directorial debut Speed , which

5986-585: The epic film Titanic in 1943. The film was soon banned in Germany and its director, Selpin, was allegedly executed. The film was a staple for all Titanic films, and scenes became stock footage for the British version. Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck starred in the 1953 20th Century Fox production Titanic , followed by the highly regarded British film A Night to Remember in 1958. The British action-adventure film The Last Voyage (1960), while not about

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6132-508: The 15 drive-in movie theaters open in the United States were operated by Philip Smith , who promoted a family-friendly environment by allowing children to enter free and built playgrounds. After 1945, rising car ownership and suburban and rural population led to a boom in drive-in theaters, with hundreds being opened each year. More couples were reunited and having children, resulting in the Baby Boom , and more cars were being purchased following

6278-659: The 1950s and 1960s. The Hoyts Skyline in Melbourne was the country's first drive-in cinema, opening in 1954 with the film On the Riviera . The drive-in was successful, and four more opened within the year, including Mainline Drive-In in Gepps Cross, South Australia . The number of drive-ins increased across the country in the ensuing years. As these drive-ins were based on the American trend, many served American-style food at snack bars. At

6424-403: The 1970s with the release of high-profile films such as Airport (1970), followed in quick succession by The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974). The casts are generally made up of familiar character actors . Once the disaster begins in the film, the characters are usually confronted with human weaknesses, perhaps falling in love or finding

6570-438: The 1970s, several venues switched from showing family-friendly fare to R-rated and X-rated films as a way to offset declining patronage and revenue, while other venues that still catered to families, began to show R-rated or pornographic movies in late-night time slots to bring in extra income. This allowed censored materials to be viewed by a wider audience, including those for whom viewing was still illegal in some states, and it

6716-569: The Earth Caught Fire (1961) and Crack in the World (1965). Volcanic disasters would also feature in films such as The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) starring Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra , and the 1969 epic Krakatoa, East of Java starring Maximilian Schell . As in the silent film era, the sinking of the Titanic would continue to be a popular disaster with filmmakers and audiences alike. Werner Klingler and Herbert Selpin released

6862-537: The Mighty (1954), starring John Wayne and Robert Stack as pilots of a crippled airplane attempting to cross the ocean; Zero Hour! (1957), written by Arthur Hailey (who also penned the 1968 novel Airport ) about an airplane crew that succumbs to food poisoning; Jet Storm and Jet Over the Atlantic , two 1959 films both featuring attempts to blow up an airplane in mid-flight; The Crowded Sky (1960) which depicts

7008-627: The Ottawa residents. This new drive-in image is not just in Ottawa. According to CTV, there are also drive-ins in Ontario and other provinces that are expanding their entertainment hosting activities including live concerts while keeping the main core, i.e., to keep family movie experience. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, some of the drive-ins host community activities that also include religious events. The drive-in theater also became popular in Australia during

7154-618: The South and the West Coast (at the industry's height, about 25% of the nation's movie screens were at drive-ins). A figure of 348 operating drive-ins was published for the United States in March 2014. In the fall of 2014, retro-themed burger chain Johnny Rockets announced that it would team up with USA Drive-Ins to open 200 drive-ins by 2018, serving Johnny Rocket's food at the concession stands, but

7300-515: The TV at home, the new drive-in theater does not have to depend on darkness. One of such newly designed drive-in theaters is LoCo Drive-In by Whitener Company and London Entertainment LLC. The drive-in will also be used for other social activities including car shows and other events. Another example of modern-day drive-in theater is the Drive-In Experience Ottawa that opened in 2020. Currently,

7446-464: The Titanic disaster but a predecessor to The Poseidon Adventure , starred Robert Stack as a man desperately attempting to save his wife ( Dorothy Malone ) and child trapped in a sinking ocean liner . The film, concluding with the dramatic sinking of the ship, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects . Additional precursors to the popular disaster films of the 1970s include The High and

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7592-420: The advent of cable television and video cassette recorder (VCR), then with the arrival of DVD and streaming systems, families were able to enjoy movies in the comfort of their homes. The new entertainment technology increased the options and the movie watching experience. While exploitation films had been a drive-in staple since the 1950s, helped by relatively limited oversight compared to downtown theaters, by

7738-460: The basic small mono speakers used in the old systems. A partial drive-in theater—Theatre de Guadalupe—was opened in Las Cruces, New Mexico on April 23, 1915: Seven hundred people may be comfortably seated in the auditorium. Automobile entrances and places for 40 or more cars within the theater grounds and in-line position to see the pictures and witness all performances on the stage is a feature of

7884-809: The best-known "guerrilla" drive-ins include the Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In in Santa Cruz, California , North Bay Mobile Drive-In in Novato, California , MobMov in San Francisco, California and Hollywood , and more recently the Guerilla Drive-In Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia . A similar, more recent concept is the "boutique" drive-in, which caters to a smaller audience, generally 30 to 50 vehicles (with some also offering seats in front of

8030-604: The booth must be retrofitted with special glass, more vents, and stronger air conditioning, as well as heat in northern climates. With installation of Jumbotrons or similar digital display equipment in drive-in theatres, restrictions of the projector booth can be avoided; that is, no projector is needed. The move to digital conversion took its toll on the industry; by October 2019, figures for operating drive-in theaters rose to 305 because of increased numbers of smaller 'boutique' operations that had never used traditional projectors, while several older drive-ins have closed. During

8176-631: The box office, especially during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia . After 12 weeks of release, the film had earned $ 231.3 million and had become 12th-highest domestic grosser, surpassing The Empire Strikes Back . Twister went on to earn a total of $ 241.7 million at the North American box office, and a worldwide total of $ 494.5 million during its theatrical run. It became the second-highest-grossing film of 1996 , behind Independence Day , and

8322-520: The box office, the film was directed by George Seaton and starred Burt Lancaster , Dean Martin , George Kennedy , Jacqueline Bisset and Helen Hayes . While not exclusively focused on a disaster—in this case, an airplane crippled by the explosion of a bomb—the film established the blueprint of multiple plotlines acted out by an all-star cast. Airport was nominated for 10 Academy Awards , including Best Picture , winning Best Supporting Actress for Hayes. The 1972 release of The Poseidon Adventure

8468-423: The box office, with The Towering Inferno earning $ 116 million ($ 697 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), Earthquake earning $ 79 million ($ 475 million in 2022-adjusted dollars), and Airport 1975 earning $ 47 million ($ 282 million in 2022-adjusted dollars) in theatrical rentals. Arguably the greatest of the 1970s disaster films, The Towering Inferno was a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. and

8614-439: The budget to $ 90 million. During post-production of Twister , Spielberg took over directing duties on Minority Report instead of The Haunting , which ultimately was directed by de Bont. The tornadoes in the film were created with computer animation . Particle system expert Habib Zargarpour used the software Dynamation to develop the basis for the digital tornadoes, consisting of millions of tiny particles that made up

8760-564: The building rips away, the F5's core passes over them. After the tornado dissipates, the team celebrate their success and Jo and Bill reconcile. Twister was produced by Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Entertainment , with financial backing from Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures . In return, Warner Bros. was given the North American distribution rights, while Universal's joint-venture distribution company, United International Pictures (UIP), obtained international distribution rights. The pitch

8906-461: The cinematic phenomenon that was James Cameron 's Titanic in 1997. Disaster themes are almost as old as the film medium itself. One of the earliest was Fire! (1901) made by James Williamson of England. The silent film portrayed a burning house and the firemen who arrive to quench the flames and rescue the inhabitants. Origins of the genre can also be found in In Nacht und Eis (1912), about

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9052-457: The company has two locations in the Ottawa area. Apart from movie-nights, the drive-in also hosts live entertainment such as “comedy nights” and concerts as well events including graduations and weddings through site rental. It provides screen, wireless in-car FM transmission and stage facilities for the events. According to the company, such a community approach will keep the drive-in experience into

9198-1073: The concept caught on nationwide. The April 15, 1934, opening of Shankweiler's Auto Park in Orefield, Pennsylvania , was followed by Galveston 's Drive-In Short Reel Theater (July 5, 1934), the Pico Drive-In Theater at Pico and Westwood boulevards in Los Angeles (September 9, 1934) and the Weymouth Drive-In Theatre in Weymouth, Massachusetts (May 6, 1936). In 1937, three more opened in Ohio, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with another 12 during 1938 and 1939 in California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia. Early drive-in theaters had to deal with sound issues. The original Hollingshead drive-in had speakers installed on

9344-804: The craze, including Heatwave! (1974), The Day the Earth Moved (1974), Hurricane (1974), Flood! (1976) and Fire! (1977). The trend continued on a larger scale with The Hindenburg (1975), starring George C. Scott ; The Cassandra Crossing (1976), starring Burt Lancaster ; Two-Minute Warning (1976), starring Charlton Heston; Black Sunday (1977), starring Robert Shaw ; Rollercoaster in Sensurround (1977), starring George Segal ; Damnation Alley (1977), starring Jan-Michael Vincent ; Avalanche (1978), starring Rock Hudson ; Gray Lady Down (1978), also starring Charlton Heston; Hurricane (a 1979 remake of John Ford's 1937 film;

9490-570: The death of Paxton in February 2017, hundreds of storm chasers and users of the Spotter Network used their markers to spell out his initials across the states of Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma in tribute to the actor, citing that the movie was the inspiration for many of them to pursue storm chasing and meteorology. A Twister museum in Wakita, Oklahoma, where many of the particularly destructive scenes of

9636-435: The device must be deployed dangerously close to a tornado to work. Jo's team rushes off to chase a developing storm with her failing to sign the papers, forcing Bill and Melissa to follow. Jonas Miller, a rival storm chaser and former colleague with corporate funding, stole Bill's idea for his own Dorothy-like device, Dot3. Jonas plans to deploy Dot3 first, claiming credit for its design. Enraged, Bill agrees to accompany Jo and

9782-667: The drive-ins were located. In Michigan, former drive-in properties have become industrial parks, shopping centers, indoor theaters, and even churches (as with the Former Woodland Drive-In in Grand Rapids, MI). In Philadelphia, the South City Drive-In became the location of the original Spectrum in the late 1960s, with a small portion of its old property line extending into what would become the (now-demolished) Veterans Stadium complex. (Today, that small portion, combined with

9928-456: The early 2000s. In the second half of the 2000s, drive-ins had another decline because of the oil crisis and a worsening economy. Reduced use of automobiles and more people moving out of suburban and rural areas during the 2010s have also put the drive-in's future at risk, with numbers again on the decline. By 2013, drive-ins comprised only 1.5% of total movie screens in the United States, with 389 theaters in operation nationwide, mostly located in

10074-585: The end of the trend was marked by the 1980 comedy Airplane! , which fondly spoofed the clichés of the genre to surprising box-office success, producing a sequel of its own, Airplane II: The Sequel , in 1982. The resurgence of big-budget productions of the genre—aided by advancements in CGI technology during the 1990s—include such films as Twister , Independence Day , Daylight , Dante's Peak , Volcano , Hard Rain , Deep Impact and Armageddon . In 1997, James Cameron co-produced, wrote and directed

10220-414: The end of wartime fuel rationing. By 1951, the number of drive-in movie theaters in the United States had increased from its 1947 total of 155 to 4,151. The drive-in's peak popularity came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in rural areas, with over 4,000 drive-ins spread across the United States in 1958. They were a cheaper alternative to in-door cinema theaters because not only did they save

10366-423: The expense of operating a drive-in theater business. As many of the drive-in theaters were set up in the outskirts, the expansion of towns was making the maintenance of large property more difficult and costly. Many former drive-in movie sites remain, with several re-purposed as storage or flea market sites, often after residential housing or other higher-value uses came to rural or sparsely populated areas where

10512-473: The film in which a tornado destroys a drive-in during a showing of the film The Shining . The facts of this incident were exaggerated into an urban legend that the theater was actually playing Twister during the tornado. On May 10, 2010, the 14th anniversary of the film's U.S. release, a tornado struck Fairfax, Oklahoma , destroying the farmhouse where numerous scenes in Twister were shot. J. Berry Harrison,

10658-455: The film, behind-the-scenes footage, trailers and a Van Halen music video. Eight years later on May 6, 2008, a two-disc special edition DVD and Blu-ray were released. An HD DVD was then released on May 27, becoming one of the last HD DVDs to be ever released. The film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray with a new Dolby Atmos audio mix on July 9, 2024. Twister featured both a traditional orchestral film score composed by Mark Mancina , and

10804-503: The finances (beginning at $ 70,000 per screen) needed to convert to digital projection. The low volume of ticket sales from the lack of multiple showings also makes justifying the cost of installing digital projection hard for many drive-ins. Conversion of the projection booth to digital is more complex for drive-in theaters. The projector needs a more powerful bulb due to increased screen size and light pollution. In addition, digital projection equipment may require an Internet connection, and

10950-575: The first feature film to be released on the DVD format. The DVD release occurred eleven days before Twister made its United States pay-cable debut on HBO on April 5, 1997. Twister was then released on VHS by MCA/Universal Home Video through CIC Video in the UK on March 10, 1997, and July 14, 1997. The film was re-released on DVD on June 6, 2000. Special features on this release include an audio commentary by Jan de Bont and Stefen Fangmeier to listen throughout

11096-504: The future. Ottawa Business Journal also wrote that local business communities and organizations can host their own private movie nights or shows. The drive-in can also be utilized for yoga activities and fitness training. The director of the company claims that the Drive-In Experience Ottawa’s goal is to provide opportunities for communities to reconnect while striving to host large weekly events and entertainment programs for

11242-433: The gas of driving out to the city and then back home, but the cost of building and maintaining a drive-in theater was cheaper than that of an indoor theater, resulting in the lower overall cost of attendance. Among its advantages was the fact that older adults with children could take care of their infant while watching a movie. At the same time, youth found drive-ins ideal for a first date. Unlike indoor cinema theaters, there

11388-604: The height of their popularity in the mid-1960s, around 330 drive-in theaters were operating in Australia before quickly dropping off. As of May 2023 , there were only 12 drive-ins in regular operation, with three more which sometimes opened for film screenings. Gepps Cross Drive-In closed at the end of February 2022, with the lengthy COVID-19 pandemic finally putting an end to its viability. As of May 2023 , only 12 drive-in cinemas operate regularly, while an additional three sometimes open to screen films. Melbourne 's largest drive-in,

11534-495: The land with windows facing the screens so that viewers could watch the films from their beds. During the 1950s, the greater privacy afforded to patrons gave drive-ins a reputation as immoral, and they were labeled "passion pits" in the media. The 1978 movie Grease portrays the local drive-in as a preferred spot for trysts. This indicates that the drive-in theater experience was a part of North American pop culture during this time, coupled with people's love for cars and movies. It

11680-449: The largest May opening weekend, dethroning both Lethal Weapon 3 and The Flintstones . The success of Twister helped the blockbusters of May officially begin the summer season. Similar openings would follow, such as that of Deep Impact in 1998 and The Mummy in 1999. Two years later in 2001, The Mummy Returns set a new precedent for the frame by unleashing an opening weekend of $ 68.1 million. Then in 2002, Spider-Man took

11826-443: The last remaining Dorothy affixed to the truck bed, Bill and Jo drive directly at the tornado, then jump out, sacrificing Bill's truck to ensure that Dorothy IV can release its probes into the wedge. The gamble is successful, as Dorothy IV's probes provide immediate scientific data, but without their truck, Jo and Bill are forced to run as the tornado shifts toward them. Inside a nearby pumphouse , they strap themselves to deep pipes. As

11972-500: The last two Dorothy prototype sensors, making them more aerodynamic. True to the forecast, a mile-wide F5 tornado forms the next day, and the team pursues it. Bill and Jo attempt to place Dorothy III in its path; however, the device is knocked over and destroyed by an airborne tree. Meanwhile, Jonas attempts to deploy Dot3, ignoring Bill and Jo's warnings that the tornado is changing direction and headed straight at them. The tornado sweeps Jonas's truck away, killing him and his driver. With

12118-475: The late 1960s, drive-in attendance began to decline as the result of improvements and changes to home entertainment, from color television and cable TV to VCRs and video rental in the early 1980s. Additionally, the 1970s energy crisis led to the widespread adoption of daylight saving time (which caused drive-in movies to start an hour later) and lower use of automobiles, making it increasingly difficult for drive-ins to remain profitable. Mainly following

12264-404: The late-1970s when the big-budget films The Swarm (1978), Meteor (1979), Hurricane (1979), The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) and When Time Ran Out ... (1980) performed poorly at the box office, signaling declining interest in the disaster film product. Although The Big Bus (1976), an earlier disaster film spoof, had failed to be a hit,

12410-503: The look of Oklahoma's topography, filming was moved to Iowa . The climactic scene with the F5 tornado was almost entirely shot around Eldora, Iowa , with the cornfield the characters run through located near Ames . Halfway through filming, both Paxton and Hunt were temporarily blinded by bright electronic lamps used to make the sky behind the two actors look dark and stormy. Paxton remembers that "these things literally sunburned our eyeballs. I got back to my room, I couldn't see". To solve

12556-434: The mid-1990s, those drive-ins still operating acquired a quasi-novelty status, catering to the wave of "boomer nostalgia " and loyal patrons. This "retro" appeal eventually led to a revival of sorts by the end of the 1990s. This resurgence of the drive-in industry led to the inception of the "do-it-yourself" drive-in beginning in 2001, which used contemporary tools such as LCD projectors and micro radio transmitters. The first

12702-568: The movie were shot, contains various memorabilia and artifacts related to the film. On April 3, 1996, Sega Pinball released Twister , a pinball machine themed to the film. It features modes including Canister Multiball, Chase Multiball, Multibull, and more. Twister was used as the basis for the attraction Twister...Ride It Out at Universal Studios Florida , which features filmed introductions by Paxton and Hunt. The attraction opened on May 4, 1998, and closed on November 1, 2015, to make way for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon . In

12848-402: The movie, but were beaten by Chrysler and their Dodge Ram . Five Rams were provided, one of which was a prototype to be used in scenes where the vehicle suffered extensive damage, and the trucks went through 20 windshields as they were broken by the flying debris. Chrysler also provided eight Dodge Caravan minivans. The scene where a tornado drops tractors in the way of the protagonists' truck

12994-558: The new experience in drive-in cinemas is gaining popularity not just in North America but in other countries as well. After decades of inactivity drive-in theaters are slowly becoming part of the outdoor movie experience. One of the countries where drive-in theaters is returning is the United Kingdom . There are also new drive-in theaters that have opened recently in North America that intend on staying in business and expanding. Some of

13140-400: The number-one spot at the North American box office, beating both The Craft and The Truth About Cats & Dogs . Upon its release, the film topped The Birdcage to have the biggest 1996 opening. At that time, it had the sixth-largest opening weekend of any film, behind The Lion King , Batman , Batman Returns , Jurassic Park , and Batman Forever . Moreover, the film had

13286-619: The opening scene where the characters meet each other, and the first tornado chase in the Jeep pickup, were filmed in Fairfax and Ralston, Oklahoma . The scene at the automotive repair shop was filmed in Maysville and Norman. The waterspout scenes were filmed on Kaw Lake near Kaw City . The drive-in scene was filmed at a real drive-in theater in Guthrie , though some of the scene, such as Melissa's hotel room,

13432-566: The option to eat classic movie refreshments such as popcorn, or even native Greek snacks such as grilled calamari and souvlaki . In 2020, Iran showed its first drive-in film, Exodus , during the COVID-19 pandemic . However the country previously operated one before 1979. The first drive-in theatre in Europe opened in Rome in 1954. The Philippines' shopping mall chain SM Supermalls opened

13578-484: The original Spectrum location, is part of Xfinity Live! Philadelphia ). Another example of a drive in-turned-flea market is Spotlight 88 in North Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania , which ended business as a drive-in after an F3 tornado destroyed much of the property on May 31, 1985 . As a joke, after the tornado hit, the owners put up the "now-showing" sign Gone with the Wind . It was most likely copied from

13724-404: The other direction right away and we'd have to move [everything] and he'd get angry that we took too long ... and it was always everybody else's fault, never his". De Bont claims that they had to schedule at least three scenes every day because the weather changed so often, and "Don had trouble adjusting to that". When De Bont, in a fit of rage, knocked over a camera assistant who missed a cue into

13870-462: The owner of the home and a former Oklahoma state senator, commented that the tornado appeared eerily similar to the fictitious one in the film. He had lived in the home since 1978. Following the film's release, the number of meteorological majors in the United States increased by about 10 percent in the late 1990s. The University of Oklahoma, which collaborated with production, in particular saw its meteorology program double from 225 enrolled to 450, and

14016-458: The owners believe that the drive-in theatre will renew the outdoor experience in the long run. Some are also projected to open in the coming years with newer designs using electronic screen system to stream the film, improving the set up, as well as concession and public facilities. In the past drive-in theaters were operating in the evening to provide clear picture. But with the new design, moviegoers can go to drive-in theaters at anytime. Just like

14162-474: The part of Bill Harding but passed on the film and suggested that Paxton try for the role. De Bont wanted the storm chaser crew to resemble the ones he met during pre-production, a team of University of Oklahoma grad students. The National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma worked closely with the production, training the crew on weather safety, allowing the actors to visit their facilities and go along on

14308-563: The place that will please car owners. The first movie shown by the Theatre de Guadalupe was Bags of Gold , produced by Siegmund Lubin . Theatre de Guadalupe was soon renamed De Lux Theater before closing in July 1916. In 1921, a drive-in was opened by Claude V. Caver in Comanche, Texas. Caver obtained a permit from the city to project films downtown. With cars parked bumper-to-bumper, patrons witnessed

14454-402: The plan never came to fruition, as did a proposed "Project Drive-In" scheme by Honda, which would have donated digital projectors. By 2018, less than 300 drive-in theaters were reported to operate worldwide, with only a handful outside North America. The ongoing conversion of film distribution from celluloid to digital also puts additional pressure on drive-in theaters. Most small drive-ins lack

14600-409: The plot of romantic comedy His Girl Friday , where a newspaper editor and his ex who is engaged to another man do one last job together. Two screenwriters would later sue the studios claiming Twister was taken from their ideas: Daniel Perkins, whose script Tornado Chasers dealt with the military harnessing tornadoes as weapons and settled for an undisclosed amount; and Stephen B. Kessler, author of

14746-428: The problem, a Plexiglas filter was placed in front of the beams. The actors took eye drops and wore special glasses for a few days to recuperate. After filming in a particularly unsanitary ditch (for the first tornado chase scene, in which Bill and Jo are forced to shelter from an approaching F1 tornado under a short bridge), Hunt and Paxton needed hepatitis shots . During the same sequence, Hunt repeatedly hit her head on

14892-536: The producers “That’s not gonna be fun to play or to watch. I’m not sure if I want to do that.” After the Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19, 1995, filming of Twister was suspended while the cast and crew worked with relief efforts. Filming was to originally take place in California , but De Bont insisted the film be shot on location in Oklahoma . Shooting occurred all over the state; several scenes, including

15038-478: The project. Around the same time, Hunt had pitched a direct-sequel to the original film, with a script she co-authored with Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal . She had intended to serve as director in addition to reprising her starring role in the cast, but the studio ultimately passed on their script. She said in an interview, "I tried to get it made, with Daveed [Diggs] and Rafael [Casal] and me writing it, and all Black and brown storm chasers, and they wouldn't do it. I

15184-499: The property, and operate the theater as a nonprofit venture specializing in family-friendly films. Hull's continues to be the nation's only nonprofit drive-in. By 2006, around 500 drive-in theaters were open in the United States, counting regularly operating venues (about 400) and those that held showings sporadically, usually during summertime, the highest number since the mid-1970s. The industry also rebounded in Canada and Australia during

15330-492: The rush of experience right along with the actors, De Bont choreographs action and suspense so beautifully he makes it seem like a snap." Time magazine's Richard Schickel wrote, "when action is never shown to have deadly or pitiable consequences, it tends toward abstraction. Pretty soon you're not tornado watching, you're special-effects watching". In his review for the Washington Post Desson Howe wrote, "it's

15476-494: The same pattern as the action", while encouraging the cast to improvise their lines. He also attempted to reduce the amount of establishing scenes and exposition "that makes a movie almost immediately less interesting" while feeling that "things will explain themselves as you keep watching", but the studio insisted on it. For the explanatory moments there was a focus on the character of Melissa, serving as an audience surrogate given she had no experience with storm chasing. Helen Hunt

15622-730: The screen and re-open the drive-in. There have been a few drive-in theaters in Finland, one of the first at the Keimola Motor Stadium in the late 1960s, while the latest in Kaarina in 2017, and in Turku and Vantaa in 2020. Germany's first drive-in theater, the Gravenbruch, opened in April 1960 in a suburb of Frankfurt with a screening of The King and I . The only other drive-ins in Europe at

15768-499: The screen). At the same time, food trucks are often used as concession stands. However, unlike the "guerrilla" format, this type of drive-in also generally presents mainstream fare, current releases, and popular classics. A key feature of this format is the focus on the "vintage" aesthetics of the drive-in. Faced with the closure of Hull's Drive-In in Lexington, Virginia in 1999, the nonprofit group Hull's Angels formed to raise funds, buy

15914-688: The screening of silent films from their vehicles. In the 1920s " outdoor movies " became a popular summer entertainment, but relatively few "drive-in" experiments were made due to logistical difficulties. The drive-in theater was patented in Camden, New Jersey , by chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. , whose family owned and operated the R.M. Hollingshead Corporation chemical plant in Camden. In 1932, Hollingshead conducted outdoor theater tests in his driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton. After nailing

16060-434: The shows. A combination of these factors was creating difficulties for the drive-ins to compete with the growing indoor cinemas. The runaway inflation and real estate interest rate hikes in the late 1970s and early 1980s made the large tracts of land used by drive-ins increasingly expensive and thus far too valuable for continued use as drive-ins. Many drive-ins operated solely on weekends, while some were open only during

16206-577: The sinking of the Titanic ; Atlantis (1913), also about the Titanic ; the Danish The End of the World (1916), (about a comet ); Noah's Ark (1928), the Biblical story from Genesis about the great flood; Deluge (1933), about tidal waves devastating New York City ; King Kong (1933), with a gigantic gorilla rampaging through New York City; and The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), dealing with

16352-604: The spring and summer months; drive-ins were also frequently subject to poor attendance or cancellations due to adverse weather. By the late 1980s, the total number of drive-ins still operating in the United States and Canada fell to less than two hundred. In addition to the large amount of land drive-in theaters occupy, older drive-ins were now showing their age and many required improvements or replacement of their infrastructure ; many owners were not willing to make further investment in repairs and improvements and growing land prices were also making it difficult to invest in and maintain

16498-420: The storm. Bad weather was frequent during production, with hailstorms, lightning, floods, and mud. Some crew members, feeling that De Bont was "out of control", left the production five weeks into filming. The camera crew led by Don Burgess claimed De Bont "didn't know what he wanted till he saw it. He would shoot one direction, with all the equipment behind the view of the camera, and then he'd want to shoot in

16644-434: The summer starter films to the next level with its $ 114.8 million opening weekend. During its second weekend, Twister managed to top Flipper with an additional $ 37 million. It was ranked as the second-highest-grossing second weekend at the time, after Jurassic Park . The film suffered only a 10% second-weekend drop, making it the smallest decline for a non-holiday film. For 15 years, Twister held that record until it

16790-428: The team for one day to launch Dorothy. As the team pursues a developing tornado, Bill drives Jo's truck into a ditch attempting to get in front of the damage path. The tornado though strengthens into an F2, and after destroying a barn corners the truck in front of a bridge. Jo and Bill shelter under the bridge as the tornado destroys the vehicle and one of the four Dorothy prototypes. With more storms developing, Bill leads

16936-524: The team in his own truck, and chases a high end F2 tornado. They encounter Jonas's team just as Bill predicts a change in the tornado's path and diverts their course. The team follows the F2 now with a group of waterspouts on Kaw Lake . However one of them develops another vortex , and spins the truck around with Melissa traumatized in the process. The team visits Jo's Aunt Meg in nearby Wakita for rest and food. Dusty tells stories about Bill's crazy past career as

17082-471: The team rush there, Melissa ends her and Bill's relationship, encouraging him to reunite with Jo. The town's storm sirens provide little warning time ahead of the tornado, which leaves Wakita in ruins and flattens Aunt Meg's house. The team, however, rescues Aunt Meg. The National Severe Storms Laboratory forecasts that a potentially record-breaking tornado will form the next day. Inspired by Aunt Meg's wind-vane sculptures, Bill and Jo add aluminum "wings" to

17228-526: The time were in Rome, Italy and Madrid , Spain. In 1919, Athens, Greece opened their first outdoor theater that eventually led to the popularity of drive-in theaters in the 1970s. Three years before then, two men displayed a short silent film on a wall of the city. Greece's first drive-in theater began construction in 1960 near Varibobi , a suburb of Athens , and was planned to open in August 1961. Viewers today have

17374-482: The tower itself, which caused a sound delay affecting patrons at the rear of the drive-in's field. In 1935, the Pico Drive-in Theater attempted to solve this problem by having a row of speakers in front of the cars. In 1941, RCA introduced in-car speakers with individual volume controls which solved the noise pollution issue and provided satisfactory sound to drive-in patrons. Just before World War II , 9 of

17520-462: The town. This location was selected after scouts discovered leftover debris from a major hailstorm that occurred two years earlier in June 1993. Most of the residents signed up as extras and were paid $ 100 per day. Additional scenes and B-roll were filmed near Ponca City and Pauls Valley , among several other smaller farm towns across the state. However, due to changing seasons that massively transformed

17666-405: The usual maximum of 300,000 feet (91,000 m). The crew used a Boeing 707 airplane engine and smaller fans to generate wind throughout the film. Pickup trucks followed the actors' vehicles to throw debris, including ice pieces to simulate hail, made with an ice machine imported from a neighbor state as Oklahoma lacked them. Ford Motor Company tried to get the 1997 F-150 as the main vehicle of

17812-589: The windows of the New York facade lies a tribute to Twister...Ride it Out with references to the film and Paxton. The film's original screenplay, written by Crichton and then-wife Anne Marie Martin, was released as a mass-market paperback in conjunction with the film. In June 2020, a remake was announced to be in development from the original film's international distributor, Universal Pictures, with Joseph Kosinski in early negotiations to serve as director. Frank Marshall and Sara Scott were set to serve as producers on

17958-440: The world and firefighters' attempts at rescuing occupants trapped on the top floor. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography , Best Film Editing and Best Original Song . Earthquake was also honored with four Academy Award nominations for its impressive special effects of a massive earthquake leveling the city of Los Angeles , winning for Best Sound and receiving

18104-478: The world, the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop (opened 1963), doubles as the world's largest daily flea market. There is a renewed interest in drive-in theaters among North American moviegoers. This trend was more apparent in 2020 through 2022. In 2020 Drive-in theaters in North America accounted for 85 to 95 percent of the box office revenue according to a 2021 article from CNN . The article also claims that

18250-474: Was achieved by dropping the combines from helicopters onto the road, and filming with longer lenses to make the distance seem very close when they were actually 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m) away. De Bont claimed that Twister cost close to $ 70 million, of which $ 2–3 million went to the director. Last-minute reshoots in March and April 1996 (to clarify a scene about Jo as a child) and overtime requirements in post production and at ILM, are thought to have raised

18396-452: Was also popular among young people to meet up and have sex, smoke marijuana and drink alcohol. It was appealing to young people as it allowed them to express freedom and liberty they would otherwise lack at home. At their height, some drive-ins used attention-grabbing gimmicks to boost attendance. They ranged from drawings for prizes and free admission, small airplane runways, helicopter or hot air balloon rides, unusual attractions such as

18542-452: Was also reliant upon varying local ordinances controlling such material. It also required a relatively remote location away from the heavier populated areas of towns and cities. By the late 1970s, many drive-in theaters were showing mainly B movies , older second-run films and low-rated films from the movie industry. While movie rental fees were increasing, the film industry was also expecting drive-in theaters to maintain prolonged time to run

18688-578: Was an air of informality that was appealing to people of all ages, but specifically to families. The drive-in's success was rooted in its reputation of being a family-friendly place. Parents were able to bring their children to the theater, often in pajamas, without worrying about bothering other movie-goers and were also able to spend time together without paying the expenses of babysitters. Drive-ins catered to their known audience, offering luxuries such as bottle warmers and diaper vending machines, and later miniature golf courses, swimming pools, and even motels on

18834-464: Was another huge financial success, notching an impressive $ 84 million in US/Canada gross rental theatrical rentals ($ 592 Million in 2022-adjusted dollars); the disaster film officially became a movie-going craze. Directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman , Ernest Borgnine , Shelley Winters and Red Buttons , the film detailed survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner overturned by

18980-470: Was brought in to work on revisions. Whedon later returned and worked on revisions through the start of shooting in May 1995, then left the project after he got married. Two weeks into production, Jeff Nathanson was flown to the set and worked on the script until principal photography ended. Among the changes, Hunt complained that Jo and Melissa's interactions were "sort of catty with each other", prompting her to tell

19126-488: Was built from a CGI zebra from the 1995 film Jumanji . Originally, Twister was set to be released on May 17, 1996. Warner eventually made the decision to push forward its release date to May 10, 1996, in order to avoid competition with Paramount 's Mission: Impossible two weeks later. The premiere took place at the AMC Penn Square 10 , then known as General Cinema Theatres at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City

19272-449: Was de Bont's first choice to play Jo Thornton-Harding, and while the studio was reluctant because of her lack of big movie roles, he insisted, considering her a good actress that could deliver the physical demands of the role. Hunt initially was uninterested, declaring that "I just didn’t know what I could really contribute acting-wise", but changed her mind after having lunch with de Bont and Spielberg at Amblin's offices. Tom Hanks read for

19418-564: Was filmed in Stillwater near the Oklahoma State University campus. Stanley Kubrick 's 1980 film The Shining was played during the sequence. The real town of Wakita – serving as the hometown of Lois Smith's character, Meg, in the film – was used during filming, and a section of the older part of town was demolished for the scene, showing the aftermath of the F4 tornado that devastates

19564-551: Was generally five dollars. As revenue was more limited than regular theaters since showings could only begin at twilight, there were abortive attempts to create suitable conditions for daylight viewing, such as large tent structures, but nothing viable was developed. One of the largest drive-in theaters was the Johnny All-Weather Drive-In in Copiague, New York . Covering over 29 acres, it could park 2,500 vehicles. It had

19710-550: Was given U.S. patent 1,909,537 on May 16, 1933. Hollingshead's drive-in opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933, at 2901 Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken Township , a short distance from Cooper River Park where the first commercial airport to serve Philadelphia was located – Central Airport. Rosemont Avenue now runs through where the theater was and is currently the site of Zinman Furs. It offered 400 slots and

19856-410: Was going to direct it... We could barely get a meeting, and this is in June of 2020 when it was all about diversity. It would have been so cool". After Steven Spielberg read the script by Mark L. Smith , his enthusiasm contributed to getting the project green-lit . In October 2022, it was announced that the project was officially titled Twisters , and Lee Isaac Chung was hired to direct. The project

20002-498: Was mistakenly activated with him inside it. A rigged ceiling hit him in the head and injured his back, requiring him to be hospitalized. De Bont took over as his own director of photography for the remaining shots. Because overcast skies were not always available, De Bont had to shoot many of the film's tornado-chasing scenes in bright sunlight, requiring Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to more than double its original plan for 150 "digital sky-replacement" shots. Principal photography

20148-470: Was not a script, but a proof of concept clip of the visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic , done entirely in computer-generated imagery and featuring a pickup truck driving towards a tornado pulling up a tractor, with one of its tires snapping off and smashing through the truck's windshield. ILM assigned Stefen Fangmeier to be the effects supervisor for his experience with tornadoes, having helped create simulations while working with storm chasers in

20294-425: Was originally given a deadline to allow Hunt to return to film the fourth season of her NBC sitcom Mad About You , but when shooting ran over schedule, series creator and actor Paul Reiser agreed to delay the show's production for two and a half weeks so Twister could finish filming. De Bont insisted on using multiple cameras, which led to the exposure of 1.3 million feet (400,000 m) of film, compared to

20440-451: Was produced by Irwin Allen (eventually known as "The Master of Disaster", as he had previously helmed The Poseidon Adventure and later produced The Swarm , Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out ... ). Directed by John Guillermin and starring Paul Newman , Steve McQueen , William Holden and Faye Dunaway , the film depicts a huge fire engulfing the tallest building in

20586-467: Was released in 1994, following a long career as a director of photography, and described the project as "a Grimm fairy tale where the monster comes out of dark clouds". Michael Crichton and his wife and co-author, Anne-Marie Martin , were paid $ 2.5 million for a screenplay, which started being written in January 1994. Crichton said the two bases for the script were a PBS documentary about storm chasers and

20732-445: Was released that June, the film was put into third place. It then approached $ 200 million by June 19, becoming the first film to do so since Forrest Gump . Twister fell into fifth place shortly after the releases of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Eraser . After Independence Day was released in July, the film crossed over Ghostbusters to become the 13th-highest domestic grossing film of all time. It continued to dominate

20878-543: Was surpassed by DreamWorks ' Puss in Boots in 2011. By May 21, it reached the $ 100-million mark. Not too long after, the number-one spot was taken by Mission: Impossible , putting Twister into second place. Like its predecessor, the film also had the largest May opening weekend. It went on to hold this record until 1997, when it was taken by The Lost World: Jurassic Park . As for Twister , it continued to stay in second place while beating out Dragonheart . When The Rock

21024-453: Was the 10th-highest-grossing film in history at the time of its release, making it the most successful Warner Bros. film release, surpassing Batman . In 2001, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone took Twister ' s record for the highest-grossing Warner Bros. film of all time. In China, Twister was the second-highest-grossing Hollywood film in the country, behind True Lies , making

21170-752: Was the Liberation Drive-In in Oakland, California , which sought to reclaim under-used urban spaces such as vacant parking lots in the downtown area. The following years have had a rise of the "guerrilla drive-in" movement, in which groups of dedicated individuals orchestrate similar outdoor film and video screenings. Showings are often organized online, and participants meet at specified locations to watch films projected on bridge pillars or warehouses. The content featured at these screenings has frequently been independent or experimental films, cult movies, or otherwise alternative programming. Aside from Oakland's Liberation,

21316-526: Was the division's first home video release to be THX certified. A widescreen VHS release became available at the same time. There is a message by James Lee Witt , the then-head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the end of the film. By November 1996, it topped the number one spot in Billboard ' s top sales. The film was released on DVD on March 25, 1997, and was

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