--- title: "‘Twisters’ Has Become the Perfect Storm for Drive-In Theaters" description: "\"Twisters\" is taking over drive-in movie theaters around the country, stealing time from even Marvel's latest release." date: "2024-07-29" modified: "2024-07-29" authors: - name: "James Gilboy" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/culture/twisters-has-become-the-perfect-storm-for-drive-in-theaters" categories: - "Culture" - "News" tags: - "movie" - "pickup" - "ram" - "trx" - "Twister" --- # ‘Twisters’ Has Become the Perfect Storm for Drive-In Theaters ![]() *\66 Drive-In Theater via Facebook\* As a fictional "once-in-a-generation tornado outbreak" hits Oklahoma in the sequel to the 1990s thriller classic "Twister," Americans are heading to the best place to ride it out. Not a storm shelter, but drive-in movie theaters, which are seeing a wave of renewed interest around the country with the release of "Twisters." "Twisters," in a spoiler-free nutshell, is exactly what you'd expect from a sequel to a '90s action flick. It's two hours of popcorn-guzzling [Ram]() product placement, goofy physics, and [Okie pandering]() with a stadium country soundtrack. But it hits important nails on the head, with better-written characters than the original film (at least *after* the opening sequence) and a satisfying ending. The $25 I spent to see it in IMAX was not regretted. But now, I kinda wish I'd joined the crowds that are flocking to see "Twisters" tear up the drive-in. "Twisters" is tied to the drive-in experience by a [scene]() in the first film where a huge F4 tornado strikes a drive-in theater during a nighttime showing of "The Shining." It's only natural that fans of the original would want to immerse themselves in that terror by seeing its sequel at such a venue, with some people [waiting literally years for the chance](). Evidently, their numbers are great enough that "Twisters" is stealing screen time from supposedly bigger releases. “We were surprised by the crowd. Bigger than any Thursday we had and actually the weekend was the biggest weekend we’ve had that I can remember,” said the owner of the Winchester Drive-In Theatre in Oklahoma City to [*KOCO*](). “We’re showing it this weekend with ‘Deadpool and Wolverine,'" he continued. "We’re gonna probably do that again next weekend 'cause they’re so popular movies. \[sic\] “Folks are so excited that it’s an Oklahoma movie, made here about Oklahoma. There was storms up in Edmond and north Oklahoma City that never came down here. We had a few sprinkles that kinda cooled things off, but it was a beautiful night. And the flashes behind the screen were just... It was actually kinda magical." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-49iTWgm48 While this is exactly the response you'd expect of a film that romanticizes the Sooner State, it's not just Okies that are turning out. The [66 Drive-In Theatre]() in fellow Tornado Alley state Missouri said on Facebook that it's giving the film an extended run after having to turn away cars on opening night. Even outside tornado country, near the west coast of the United States, the 99W Drive-In in Newberg, Oregon announced that it "will be funneling out to the drive-in \[for\] several more weeks." The bump in traffic will no doubt be welcome to the dwindling number of drive-in theaters, which [Statista]() indicates declined by 35% between the year before the original "Twister" film's release in 1996 and 2020. These old-timey moviegoing experiences saw [brief resurgences during the days of COVID distancing](), but it's hard to say what future [this American institution]() has once Baby Boomers stop seeing new movies. *Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com* ## Author James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids." ### Author social links [Instagram]()