I am very much enjoying the return to a late-nineties style of movie promotions, so I am excited to present to you what I like to call the Twisters Tube!
According to a post shared on X by Discussing Film, movie theaters will soon have booths you can step into that will simulate being inside a tornado. This comes as a promo for the upcoming film Twisters.
There’s a lot to unpack here. First, I’m very curious about how fast the wind actually blows in this thing. Depending upon their severity, The machine is based on estimated wind speeds and related damage, Tornadoes can produce winds anywhere from 65 mph to over 200 mph. So there is really no definitive answer about how strong this thing really is.
I can’t imagine the Twisters Tube can pump out that kind of power, but I wanted to be certain, so i did my own research so I called up a New York-based SFX company that has a ton of different fans available for rental.
An employee told me over the phone that a 25hp electric wind machine can create winds of up to 45 mph at a five-foot difference, and 25 mph at a 10-foot distance. But you need “an enormous amount of energy to move air,” and he wasn’t all that confident that the Twisters Tubes can produce that much wind power.
Then, there’s the naturally hilarious reactions to the Twisters Tubes on social media. From people claiming that this is where they will go to use the bathroom during their next trip to the theater, to one person wondering if they’ll do a Dune one where you get pelted with sand.