Summary

More details have been revealed about Steven Spielberg’s yelling incident on the set ofTwister. Released in 1996,Twisterwas an iconic natural disaster romance movie directed by Jan De Bont.Twisterfeatured an iconic leading cast, including Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith, Alan Ruck, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Now,Twisterhas received a standalone sequel,Twisters, nearly three decades later, which is currently doing well at the box office after hitting theaters on July 19.

PerIndependent, new elements of a fateful incident surrounding Spielberg’s reaction on the set ofTwisterhave been revealed by stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers. After numerous important members of theTwisterproduction team stormed off set,Spielberg took a private jet to the set to confront director De Bont. De Bont was asked to arrive at the airport, where Spielberg began “yelling” without even getting “off the plane.” He was reportedly “pointing his finger at him, screaming at him” for around 15 minutes, before getting on the plane and leaving again. Check out Rodgers' full explanation below:

It had been brewing.

The ramp came down on the Learjet and Spielberg walked down it and he never touched the ground. He just stood there yelling at Jan. He never even got off the plane. He was just f***ing yelling, pointing his finger at him, screaming at him. I don’t know what he said to him, but he barked at him for, like, 15 minutes and got back in the plane. The plane left without him even stepping off.

What Led To The Spielberg Incident Explained

Director De Bont Made A Big Mistake

The Spielberg yelling incident came shortly after a “mass exodus” wherein multiple crew members ended up quitting. This resulted from a day wherein the film crew was filming in a ditch, andDe Bont reportedly shoved an assistant camerapersonto the side. Said crew member ended up tripping and falling further into the ditch, but De Bont did not apologize, even when prompted. This ledTwister’s camera crew to leave the set in rebellion, alongside the audio and wardrobe teams. Even though Rodgers does not remember what Spielberg said, his complaints were likely surrounding this incident.

Twister vs. Twisters: Which Tornado Movie Is Better

The 2024 disaster movie sequel Twisters comes 28 years after the original released, and the two movies have naturally invited comparisons.

Spielberg had a particular investment in the success ofTwister, as he was a producer on the film, which was produced in part byAmblin Entertainment, the company he founded. It was Spielberg’s endorsement that partially led toTwistergetting green lit in the first place, giving the iconic Hollywood talent an additional stake in the film. To cross Spielberg was not the way to go for De Bont, but his startling and unsafe actions make Spielberg’s reaction more understandable.

Despite these challenges,Twisterended up being a theatrical success. It made over$494.5 million worldwideon its estimated $92 million budget, turning a profit. The fraught production ofTwisteralso did not sour Spielberg on the franchise entirely, as he came back to executive producerTwistersthrough Amblin again. With a respectable box office so far,Twistersis proof that the tornado-based franchise can succeed, despite the original film’s production issues.

Twisters Box Office Success Explained

Twisters Has Exceeded Expectations

Despite the production challenges for the originalTwister, Amblin was not cautious with their budget when it came toTwisters. Rather, they decided to spend$200 million on the standalone sequel film. While this would, of course, need to be scaled for inflation, this putsTwistersbudget at over double the cost of1996’sTwister. This budget makes it such thatTwisterswould have to make more thanTwisterto profit. In fact, at even the lowest break-even estimate (around 2.5x budget),Twisterswould need to take home $500 million, which is slightly more thanTwister’s gross.

Adjusted for inflation, 1996’sTwisterwould have cost roughly $180 million to make.

At present,Twistershas not disappointed at the box office thus far. During its opening weekend,Twisterstripled the lower-end projections, opening to $81 million domestically. At the time of writing,Twistershas made $133.9 millionat the box office. Having been in theaters for less than a week, this total puts it on a good track to outpaceTwisterand is likely to turn a profit by the end of its theatrical run. Check out the chart below forTwisters' opening weekend:

1

$80.5 million

$80.5 million (weekend 1)

2

$23 million

$259 million (weekend 3)

3

$12.7 million

$596 million (weekend 6)

4

$11.7 million

$44.6 million (weekend 2)

5

$6.1 million

$127.6 million (weekend 4)

Beyond the overall box office success,Twistersalso set a unique record upon its release. In addition to releasing in IMAX and standard formats,Twisterswas released in some 4DX theaters, a “4-D” movie experience wherein seats shake and water sprays at opportune times during the film.Twistersmade $2.1 million in 4DX during the opening weekend, which is the highest-grossing opening in the entire history of the format. This niche record forTwistersshows the success of the movie as an event film, for people want to experience the wind-tussled Oklahoma world to the fullest extent possible.

Twisters’box office numbers are likely a comfort to Spielberg, asthe sequel has managed to succeed despite its distance from the first film.The first movie may have had significant production challenges, but bothTwister’s andTwisters' box office reveal that audiences are attracted to the spectacle of this franchise. In the coming days,Twisterswill be faced with greater competition asDeadpool & Wolverineenters theaters, but if the film can maintain its momentum, it will easily sweep up more box office gains.

Twister

Cast

In Twister, Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes. Jo’s childhood was stricken by the trauma of losing her father to a deadly F5 tornado, setting her on the path of a storm chaser. Having developed a new technology with her team named “Dorothy,” Jo seeks to make Tornadoes more predictable to give people a chance to make it to safety. Jo’s obsession created a rift between her husband, but new breakthroughs may bring them back together as the two pursue their greatest challenge yet - an incoming system that will produce yet another F5.