Flight Risk has dominated the box office in its opening weekend. The new movie, which was directed by Mel Gibson, stars Mark Wahlberg as a mob hitman posing as a pilot who menaces Deputy U.S. Marshal Madelyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) and informant Winston (Topher Grace) while they are trapped in midair in a small plane. The Flight Risk release marks the latest debut from studio and distributor Lionsgate, who put out a string of notable box office flops in 2024 including Borderlands, The Crow, Megalopolis, and White Bird.
Per TheWrap, as of Saturday morning, Flight Risk is projected to earn a 3-day total of $12 million at the domestic box office by the end of its opening weekend. This will be enough for it to topple the 2024 holdover hit Mufasa: The Lion King from the No. 1 spot for the weekend. It is the second 2025 new release to top the domestic chart so far, after Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which was also a Lionsgate тιтle. This has been the case in spite of dismal reviews earning it a 21% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What This Means For Flight Risk
It Is Doing Well While The General Box Office Sinks
Flight Risk‘s debut would seem to be a good sign for its overall theatrical run, as the production budget of the Mark Wahlberg movie is reportedly just $10 million. While this means that it will likely have to earn $25 million in theaters in order to break even, it is already well on its way toward hitting that total by the end of its time in theaters. However, while the thriller is thriving, the general box office is experiencing severe doldrums with a projected overall weekend total of just $64 million, which is the lowest of the year so far.
The previous lowest-grossing domestic box office weekend was the traditional 3-day weekend over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which earned $77.6 million overall.
While the domestic box office struggles, Flight Risk debuting at No. 1 is yet another win for Lionsgate after Den of Thieves 2, showcasing the fact that their 2025 slate so far seems to be connecting with audiences much better than the year prior. This will likely be the case as the year continues, as they have quite a few movies with strong potential scheduled, including the IP-related offerings From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Saw XI, and Now You See Me 3, which will be followed in 2026 by The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Our Take On The Weekend Box Office
January Could Continue To Be Rough
What happened with Flight Risk will likely continue to happen with various 2025 new releases moving forward, including the mysterious thriller Companion and the Valentine’s Day slasher Heart Eyes. However, these domestic box office doldrums may not fully lift until February 14 with the debut of the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. The Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is projected to open above $90 million at the domestic box office, so that one movie will earn more than any of the complete movie slates have over the last three weekends.
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Source: TheWrap
