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

The standalone sequel to 1996 hit made $80.5 million in ticket sales from 4,151 theatres 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 similiarities: 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.”

The Universal, Warner Bros. and Amblin production cost $155 million to produce and millions more to promote. Part of the push included a country music heavy soundtrack, with a new Luke Combs single “Aint No Love in Oklahoma” which has racked up more than 56 million audio streams.

The soundtrack as a whole, featuring the likes of Bailey Zimmerman, Tucker Wetmore, Tanner Adell, Lainey Wilson, Tyler Childers, Thomas Rhett and Miranda Lambert, has over 75 million streams.

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.