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Kim Hollis: Into the Storm, a movie about multiple tornadoes that are apparently hell-bent on destroying a town, opened to $17.3 million this weekend. What do you think of this result?

Edwin Davies: This is fine for a fairly cheap Twister ripoff that's arrived a mere 18 years too late and somehow has effects that look worse than those employed in the mid-'90s. Considering how bad this looks - and, judging by the reviews, is - this is likely more than it deserves. It'll wind up losing money domestically, and might make up the difference overseas since disaster movies tend to play well internationally, but it could have done far, far worse.

Matthew Huntley: This opening is actually higher than I expected, given how ordinary and generic this movie seems. I imagine one of the only reasons audiences chose to sample it in the first place was because either Ninja Turtles or Guardians of the Galaxy were sold out.

Nevertheless, a $17 million opening for a $50 million movie isn't enough that it will show a profit any time soon, but it's also not a disaster. Like the movie itself (probably), it's run-of-the-mill and will be seen as a mild disappointment.

Jay Barney: It is an okay opening considering how tough the box office arena has suddenly become. $18 million against the $50 million budget isn't great, but suddenly the box office is hot and films are competing for screens. Let's not forget that Planet of the Apes is still doing okay, Lucy and Hercules are only a few weeks old and Guardians of the Galaxy was last week. Now we had four new openers this weekend. That is a lot of competition. It is not a great opening, but far from a disaster.

Bruce Hall: Dumb, obvious title, generic story, and they didn't even have Van Halen on the soundtrack. Still, Into the Storm made back half its production budget on opening weekend, if you count the international cume. I guess you'd call that a win?

David Mumpower: What I find telling about the discussion is that everyone’s mind immediately runs to Twister. That is why that film was claimed an absolute monstrous opening weekend for its era. Meanwhile, Into the Storm cannot even reach the $20 million mark. We are talking about a clearly inferior product whose primary hope was that audiences would shrug their shoulders and think, “Eh, good enough.” That did not happen, which means Into the Storm is already a punchline even as it has a chance to become a financial winner, presuming solid overseas results.

Kim Hollis: The Hundred-Foot Journey, a Disney film featuring Helen Mirren and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, debuted to $11 million. What do you think of this result?

Edwin Davies: This strikes me as a solid opening for a film targeting an older demographic who don't rush out to see films on opening weekend, as well as one that cost only $22 million to make. For a fairly gentle comedy-drama about rival restaurants, an opening north of $10 million is a good debut, and it will probably play very well over the next couple of months as we enter the no man's land between the end of blockbuster season and the start of awards season. A nice, uplifting story would probably play pretty well at a time when the news is very depressing, too.

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