A weird coincidence, one of the greatest marketing stunts of all time? What is the truth about people watching Twister at a drive in and an actual tornado touching down?

Tornado at a Drive In While Showing Twister?

With the new 'Twisters' coming out this weekend I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite urban legends of all time. Back on May 10,1996 'Twister' came out in theaters. Just about a week after its premiere, the movie got a lot of buzz because word was going around that an actual tornado touched down during a screening at a drive in. Since this was before everyone had the internet, we really couldn't fact check it. News reports came out about the incident and only built up the 'Twister' hype.

Tornado Touches Down at Can-View Drive In in Ontario?

Back in 1996, word spread of a tornado touching down during a screening of 'Twister on May 20th. Just over a week from when the film came out. Here is a newspaper description of what supposedly happened that night.

At a drive-in near Hamilton, they were showing Twister, the new blockbuster film about killer tornadoes. During one of the duller passages, one guy went to the men's room, and came back to find the screen vibrating wildly and a loud whooshing filling the air. Pleasantly surprised to find that for once the computerised effects and surroundsound were all they were cracked up to be, he took a moment to realise that it was a real twister. Seconds later, the screen was ripped out of the ground and came crashing down on top of the cars, sending the crowd fleeing for their lives.

Did This Actually Happen?

You can check out the viral photo above from 1996. It shows 'Twister' on the marquee for movies that night and as you can see. The screen is torn apart. So what happened? Well a tornado did touch down in Ontario...at 5 in the morning. Later that day, 'Twister' was scheduled to play at the Can View Drive In, but when it happened nobody was there. People showed up the next day and saw what happened to the screen. However, NO tornado touch downed while the drive in was showing the movie. Looks like someone twisted (no pun intended) this story to make a better headline.

via GIPHY

I am sure some tornado junkies helped this rumor spread even more because as we know in the film. They do go to drive in movie while 'The Shining' is playing and a tornado touches down ripping the screen apart. So if you have been believing this urban legend for almost thirty years. Sadly, it's not real.

Original Twister Drive In Scene