Wahlberg’s ‘Flight Risk’ Hits a Dubious Box Office Milestone

by

Quick Links

  • ‘Flight Risk’ Quickly Ran Out of Box-Office Runway
  • Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson Have Dwindling Box-Office Appeal

Mark Wahlberg delivers an edgy portrayal in the suspenseful movie Flight Risk, taking on a role as a seemingly reliable pilot who is assigned to escort a female Air Marshal and her key witness through the treacherous Alaskan wilderness. The travelers soon become suspicious that Wahlberg’s character, referred to merely as the pilot, may not be all he seems.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Lionsgate opted for a broad cinema launch for “Flight Risk,” directed by Mel Gibson, who has mostly been involved in streaming projects recently, following his successful 2016 film, “Hacksaw Ridge.

Despite the choice to debut “Flight Risk” cinematically in January, it was a foreshadowing of trouble, given that January is often perceived as a burial ground for films by both audiences and critics. Consequently, even though “Flight Risk,” initially scheduled for release in October, topped the domestic box office during its opening weekend, this success was more symbolic than substantial, as evidenced by the film’s underwhelming total earnings at the box office currently.

One positive thing about the disappointing box office earnings of the movie “Flight Risk” is that it has helped Wahlberg secure a spot on the list of top 40 highest-grossing actors, placing him slightly higher than his co-stars Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio in this ranking.

‘Flight Risk’ Quickly Ran Out of Box-Office Runway

Read Our Review

Over its first weekend in U.S. theaters, the movie “Flight Risk,” estimated to have cost around $25 million to produce, was expected to earn between $9 million and $11 million. Despite a slow box office weekend, “Flight Risk” took the top spot, earning nearly $11.6 million, surpassing the holdover release “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Mark Wahlberg’s previous theatrical outing, the 2024 adventure film “Arthur the King,” debuted in third place with an opening weekend gross of more than $7.6 million.

Despite facing harsh criticism and being released in January, considered the ‘dumping month’ for films, Flight Risk managed to earn $5.4 million during its second weekend at U.S. box offices. By the third weekend of its release, it has amassed a domestic gross of about $25.8 million and an overseas gross of around $12.3 million, thus totalling approximately $38.1 million worldwide.

To cover its marketing expenses totaling $20 million, the movie “Flight Risk” needs to earn around $65-$75 million globally at the box office to break even in theaters. Interestingly, Lionsgate, its distributor, isn’t focusing on box-office success for this film, as it was given a wide theatrical release primarily to boost the film’s streaming premiere. Notably, the streaming debut of “Flight Risk” is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, merely three weeks after its theatrical release.

Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson Have Dwindling Box-Office Appeal

Critics’ unfavorable opinions towards the movie “Flight Risk,” currently rated 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, are often linked to director Mel Gibson’s past controversies and lead actor Mark Wahlberg’s political views. However, it’s worth noting that Gibson’s previous directorial work, “Hacksaw Ridge,” was both a commercial and critical triumph, earning six Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nod for Gibson himself.

In recent years, it seems like Mark Wahlberg’s career has been on a downward trend, as demonstrated by the lukewarm reception of his latest movie, “Flight Risk.” Notably, the last significant box-office success for Wahlberg was the 2022 action-adventure film “Uncharted,” where much of its success can be credited to co-star Tom Holland. Apart from “Uncharted,” “Flight Risk” is Wahlberg’s highest-earning movie since the 2018 comedy-drama “Instant Family.” This film brought in a little over $120 million at the global box office.

Wahlberg Reached a Dubious Box-Office Milestone With ‘Flight Risk’

Mark Wahlberg’s films in which he is the main star have collectively made $2.742 billion at the domestic box office, placing him at number 40 on the list of all-time highest-grossing leading actors. This ranking positions him slightly ahead of Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio, his co-stars in the 2013 action comedy film “2 Guns” and the Academy Award-winning 2006 crime thriller film “The Departed,” where Wahlberg earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

The list focuses solely on Mark Wahlberg’s main roles, starting with his character Dirk Diggler in the 1997 movie “Boogie Nights.” Notably, films like “The Departed” and those where his box office earnings overseas surpassed $3 billion are not included. Despite this, the positive attention from this list has helped divert some of the negative buzz surrounding the film “Flight Risk,” which has since become less significant. You can now purchase “Flight Risk” on Apple TV, Google Play, and Prime Video.

Read More

2025-02-17 04:02