Kingman Historic Theater sees line down the block to see sequel to ‘Twister’

KINGMAN, Kan. (KSNW) – A line down the block leading past the box office of the Kingman Historic Theater. Those in line range from out-of-towners to aspiring meteorologists, all waiting in anticipation for “ Twisters ,” the sequel to 1996’s turbulent blockbuster classic “Twister.”

The Historic Theater invited KSN’s Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman to see the movie, greet fans, and separate fact from fiction in a live post-credits Q&A.

“Jay-Jay” Murtishaw, a moviegoer whose family surprised her with a theater visit, said her favorite part of the original was the anticipation.

“If they’re going to run into the ‘Twister’ or if it’s going to catch them,” Murtishaw said.

Shannon Leach and Nikolas Tyson, who attended the showing together, are both die-hard fans of the 1996 classic.

“We’ve probably seen it 50 times. We love it. We watch it every year,” Leach said.

It even played a part in inspiring a potential career path for Tyson.

“It’s a classic, and I also love weather … I’d love to be a meteorologist or like a storm chaser or something to do with weather,” Tyson said.

One fan, Carla Nida, showed up wearing a T-shirt from the “Twister Museum” in Wakita, Oklahoma.

“I love the original movie, and I want to see the second one. It’s that simple. I’ve been to the museum like three or four times down in Wakita. So we’ll see what it’s like,” Nida said.

Kingman Historic Theater board member Felix Rainosek says he thinks 1996’s “Twister” is a favorite for all Kansans.

“Well, twisters are tornadoes, and that’s kind of what Kansas is known for, with the Wizard of Oz and everything, so it’s a big deal here,” Rainosek said.

The common sentiment among Kingman moviegoers is that seeing the familiar Midwest on the big screen means just as much now as it did then.

“Just having grown up in Kansas and with tornadoes all the time, just kind of feels like coming back to my childhood … Going to the movies,” Nida said.

“I don’t know if it’ll be as good as the classic, but maybe so, I don’t know. I’m very excited,” Tyson said.

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