Flight Risk

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It’s being whispered that Mark Wahlberg’s Flight Risk might be available for digital streaming and Video On Demand (VOD) as early as Valentine’s Day, only a few weeks following its theatrical premiere on January 24, 2025. The film raked in $11.5 million during its North American opening weekend, with viewers awarding it a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, critics were less than impressed, giving it a 29% rotten score. According to When to Stream, this early release could potentially set another record for a swift shift from the big screen to digital platforms.

According to its appearance on paper, “Flight Risk” seems promising as a potential box office success: It boasts a talented director (Mel Gibson, known for “Braveheart”), an impressive cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace, and an engaging plot revolving around a U.S. Marshal transporting a witness over Alaska while the autopilot malfunctions, leading to chaos. Additionally, Wahlberg is taking on the role of a villain for the first time in nearly 30 years, which adds intrigue. However, despite these appealing aspects, it appears that “Flight Risk” has not been well-received by audiences.

To date, the movie has managed to rake in a disappointingly low $28 million worldwide, with just $5.7 million coming from international box office sales. This release was a global premiere, meaning it was screened not just in North America, but across the globe on the same weekend. Interestingly, it debuted at number one in North America. So, one might wonder, given these figures, why the eagerness to distribute it digitally and via video-on-demand?

The Problems with ‘Flight Risk’

Previously mentioned, there was a high possibility of an engaging movie titled “Flight Risk“, yet MovieWeb’s Mark Keizer offers some insight. In his critique, he questions why Mel Gibson chose to direct such a “surprisingly uninteresting” film, with no daring moves in the plotline. Known for his Oscar-winning directorial efforts spanning over three decades, such as “Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, and Hacksaw Ridge“, Gibson has delivered critically acclaimed and commercially successful films that resonated with audiences and critics alike. It’s hard to imagine that this talented director would produce a film lacking in creativity and risk-taking, especially for what should have been an edge-of-your-seat thriller set in a claustrophobic environment.

Despite Jared Rosenberg’s script earning a spot on the 2020 Black List of unmade movies with great potential, the resulting movie doesn’t build much suspense, despite its intriguing narrative. Wahlberg delivers an energetic performance that is the film’s standout, as he portrays a ruthless hitman poised to eliminate Winston, the witness. The criticism lies in the fact that “Wahlberg, playing a madman with a striking bald head, injects some life into the movie, but it’s disappointing that he is often sidelined from the action.

Despite being filmed over a span of approximately one month with a production budget of roughly $25 million, the movie has only managed to amass half the earnings of Den of Thieves: Pantera, which grossed $50 million worldwide prior to its video-on-demand and digital release. This suggests that both studios and producers may have anticipated a limited period in which each film could be profitable at the box office before transitioning to digital platforms.

If the report holds validity, you’ll be able to determine for yourself why ‘Flight Risk’ marks Gibson’s least successful directorial work on February 14. Coming up next for Gibson is a sequel to ‘The Passion of the Christ’.

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2025-02-08 01:04