Bill Paxton’s Twister Is Heading to HBO Max 30 Years After Debut

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The popular disaster film starring Bill Paxton, known for its impact on the genre, will soon be available on HBO Max. It will be added to the streaming service in just a few days.

The 1996 film Twister will soon be available to stream on HBO Max. It’s joining a growing list of popular genre movies already on the platform, including The Mummy and Aliens.

The Impact and Legacy of Twister

Released in 1996, Twister, directed by Jan de Bont and written by Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park) and Anne-Marie Martin, revitalized the natural disaster movie genre for a generation. The film follows a TV weather forecaster who heads to Oklahoma to finish his divorce from Jo Thornton, a meteorologist.

Throughout the movie Twister, Bill teams up with Jo and her colleagues as they chase a tornado, hoping to deploy Jo’s research equipment—called Dorothy. They face challenges from a rival team and the complications of their own developing relationship. The film also stars a talented supporting cast, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, and Alan Ruck, alongside Hunt and Paxton.

When Twister came out, it was a huge hit, earning almost $500 million worldwide on an $88 million budget. Despite making so much money, critics weren’t completely won over. Currently, the film has a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences give it a 59% score.

Why Twister Was Still Worth Revisiting Nearly Thirty Years Later

Despite not being a favorite with critics, the movie Twister has remained popular and recently got a sequel, Twisters, released in 2024. Twisters features Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter, a storm chaser who is convinced to return to the field by her friend and former coworker, Javi, played by Anthony Ramos.

The film Twisters also features Glen Powell as Tyler Owens, a popular storm chaser who joins forces with Kate after they meet in Oklahoma. The main cast includes Kiernan Shipka as Addy, a former teammate of Kate’s, David Corenswet as Scott, Javi’s business partner, Brandon Perea as videographer Boone, Tunde Adebimpe as scientist Dexter, Sasha Lane as drone operator Lily, Harry Hadden-Paton as journalist Ben, Katy O’Brien as mechanic Dani, and David Born as the ruthless investor Marshall Riggs.

I was really excited for Twisters when it came out, but honestly, it didn’t quite live up to the first Twister for me. It did pretty well in theaters, making just over $372.3 million with a $155 million budget – which is definitely a success! But it didn’t quite surpass the original, which I still think is amazing.

Twister will be available for streaming on HBO Max beginning Apr. 1.

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2026-03-30 00:36