Mel Gibson’s Mark Wahlberg-starring Flight Risk took the #1 spot at the box office this week, bumping Mufasa from Pride Rock.
Mel Gibson’s Flight Risk has taken off to become #1 at the box office this week, pulling in $12 million during its debut. This is a pretty unimpressive number to head the box office, and considering Flight Risk had a budget of $25 million, it has a bit of a way to go to recoup its expenses. But those that did check it out over the weekend no doubt did so in part to support Gibson, who hasn’t directed a movie since 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge.
Flight Risk’s take – which we knew would help it get to #1 this weekend based on early projections – would also mean the dethroning of franchise fare at the 2025 box office so far. Even though we’re still in January (yes, we’re still in January…), it’s worth noting that there have only been sequels at the top of the box office so far this year: Mufasa: The Lion King (a late 2024 release) and Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, with the former obviously being the dominant picture.
Now in its sixth week, Mufasa wouldn’t yet retreat entirely into the jungle, earning $8.7 million, which was good enough for the number two spot, its second bump there so far. It has now grossed $221 million domestically. As for Den of Thieves 2, that ended up dropping all the way down to #9, a 55% tumble. Indeed, Flight Risk would be the only non-holdover from previous weeks to crack the top five. The only key debut this weekend, Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, managed $3.4 million, putting it at #6.
In the #3 spot was One of Them Days in its second week, taking in $8 million from its word of mouth, which helped it get #2 in its opening week. That spot saw it fending off returning sequels Sonic the Hedgehog 3, now in its sixth week, and Moana 2, in week nine. Those movies rounded out the top five with $5.5 and $4.3 million, respectively. Notably, both have already outgrossed their predecessors. Landing at #7 in its second week was Wolf Man, which underperformed in its debut weekend and disappointed in quality considering what had been done with Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man.
Oscar contenders also left their mark towards the bottom of the top 10, with A Complete Unknown – James Mangold’s biopic on Bob Dylan, earning eight nominations – landing at #8 with $3.1 million. Meanwhile, The Brutalist – which could be on its way to a Best Picture victory and Best Actor statue for Adrien Brody – coming in at the bottom spot with $2.87. That’s not an incredible showing for The Brutalist. Still, we’re glad it is finally opening up to more theaters (it added nearly 800 this week) after having peaked at just seven during its Oscar-eligible opening.
Next week, we will see the wide releases of Universal’s animated Dog Man, the Briarcliff action flick Valiant One, and New Line horror Companion, which could get a little bump from IMAX. Worth mentioning, too, is You’re Cordially Invited. Even though it will be on Amazon Prime Video, You’re Cordially Invited is yet another reminder of the state of the theater vs. streaming war, as Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon would’ve made bank together back in the day.
As for the weeks after that, we won’t have powerhouse franchise movies until next month, with Captain America: Brave New World and Paddington in Peru arriving on February 14th (after Paddington’s run in its native U.K.). Additionally, The Day the Earth Blew Up is dropping on February 28th, letting us see just how well a Looney Tunes pic can do on the big screen.
What did you catch at the movies this weekend? Which movies do you expect to round out the top five next week?
