During its preview night on Thursday, it was clear that Twisters would over-perform in a big way. The movie opened to $10.7 million on preview night, well above the $7 million initially estimated as numbers began rolling in by the night’s close. The weather was far from gloomy by the end of the weekend for the disaster pic as Twisters debuted to a robust $81.2 million, about $700,000 more than early estimates indicated on Sunday. When a movie opens ahead of predictions, let alone a staggering $30 million above the prediction number, it’s clear that the industry has a film that hits all the necessary marks to engage audience interest. Several factors pushed Twisters into this territory, adding to a perfect storm of box office success.