Moviegoers ran toward the tornadoes this weekend, propelling ” Twisters ” to a blockbuster opening.

The standalone sequel to the 1996 hit made $80.5 million in ticket sales from 4,151 theaters in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That’s about $30 million more than analysts expected initially, and makes for the biggest opening of a live-action movie yet this summer.

“We had big aspirations for it to begin with, and it certainly exceeded those,” said Jim Orr, who heads distribution for Universal. “We’re seriously over-indexing between coasts which is fun to see as well.”

Its overperformance recalled ” Oppenheimer’s ” debut last year on the same weekend. There are some similarities: The studio, Universal, and the numbers. But there are also important differences: “Oppenheimer” was 3-hours long, R-rated (“Twisters” is PG-13) and historical, not to mention the collective enthusiasm around its release date companion, “Barbie.”

“Twisters,” meanwhile, is a franchise. It may not be a direct sequel to “Twister” but it is benefiting from the brand recognition. The original Jan de Bont-directed film starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton was a financial hit at the time and has only become more beloved over the years. This film, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, does not include any of the characters from the original and introduces a new crowd of storm chasers.

“This is just further evidence that when you create something that’s compelling and interesting and has broad appeal, that all across the country people will show up,” said Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “I think the word of mouth on this movie is going to be exceptional.”

Critics were mixed but mostly positive about the 2-hour thriller. Audiences gave it an enthusiastic A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. Also of note: 24% of moviegoers polled by PostTrack said actor Glen Powell was a main draw.

“Our director crafted exactly what audiences want to see in theaters: A very immersive, exciting, mayhem everywhere story with a charming cast,” Orr said.

“Twisters” has also whipped up some spirited online discourse and debate, some about the film not explicitly referencing climate change and some about the lack of a kiss between Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. A video showing the kiss that was left on the cutting room floor made the rounds on social media over the weekend.

Universal also had the No. 2 movie in the country with “Despicable Me 4,” now in its third weekend. It added $23.8 million from North America, where it is still playing in over 4,000 theaters, bringing its domestic total to $259.5 million.

Third place went to another animated juggernaut: Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” now in its sixth weekend, and boasting a global total of $1.4 billion. It is quickly closing in on “Frozen 2” to earn the title of the biggest animated movie of all time.

“Things have really turned around since May,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

And another force is storming theaters next weekend in ” Deadpool & Wolverine,” which is tracking to open in the $160 million range. That would be enough to unseat “Inside Out 2” for the biggest opening of the year. How it will affect “Twisters” in its second weekend is a big unknown. O’Leary said he believes it’s a plus having compelling movies going head to head.