If Twister 2: Storm Chasin' Boogaloo is anything like the 1996 movie, storm chasers are prepared for a whirlwind of attention.
Twister got a lot of attention back in 1996. Apparently, that attention had a kind of "Sideways Effect" on the whole tornado-chasing industry and whipped things up. Hollywood waited almost two decades to shake things up again, now storm chasers are girding their loins in anticipation as the new movie is about to shine a spotlight on their fun.
Twister seemed likely to be one more potential fissure in a community already struggling with its identity. But even chasers anxious about its impact could not have anticipated how much the film would change storm chasing.
Some were optimistic that, after the initial frenzy of the movie's premiere, the attention would fade. In the January 1996 Storm Track newsletter, editor Tim Marshall wrote, "I expect an outbreak of enthusiasts will descend upon the plains, but anticipate that the tornado chase craze ropes out before the 1997 chase season." After wannabes, high on images of flying cows and Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton holding on for dear life, got a taste of actual storm chasing—with its hours of endless driving, the frustrations of forecasts that didn't pan out, and the misery of gas station food and cheap motels—they would surely abandon their interest.
This time was different, though. Because it was a fictional account, Twister dramatized storm chasing in a way news media had never been able to, and special effects added to the on-screen adrenaline. Twister was a hit, making almost $500 million at the box office. Other media outlets saw storm chasing not only as a quirky, one-off story but as a subject with a potentially massive audience. Entrepreneurial storm chasers had a larger market for their offerings than ever before.
Slate
Previously:
• A drive-in theater screening 'Twister' was hit by a twister. Or was it?
• Giant inflatable Twister game
