Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg‘s “Flight Risk” is facing no traffic on the runway, lifting off to an easy No.
The photorealistic CG-animated prequel has a shot at surpassing a $220 million domestic total through the end of this sixth weekend of release.
The SZA and Keke Palmer comedy will get past a $24 million domestic total through its first 10 days of release.
The latest adventure featuring Sega’s iconic video game speedster will get past a $225 million domestic total this outing, settling in as the ninth-highest-grossing title of 2024.
The domestic total should inch to $17 million this weekend, with not much left in the tank.
With no runway traffic, Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg’s “Flight Risk” lifts off to a simple no. 1 opening in what is proving to be yet another languid weekend at the box office in January. Through Friday and preview screenings, the Lionsgate thriller brought in $4.04 million from 3,161 locations.
At that low gross, it will still be Lionsgate’s second-lowest ranking. first appearance of the year following “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.”. It is now anticipated that the opening will be north of $11 million over three days, but there may be some turbulence. However, the warning signs aren’t limited to multiplexes; a sizable portion of the audience may not attend Sunday’s NFL conference championships. The film, which is Gibson’s directorial follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 2016 war drama “Hacksaw Ridge,” has been widely criticized by critics, which is why Lionsgate kept the review embargo on “Flight Risk” until preview screenings. “.”.
Cinema Score, a moviegoer survey, has given it a rough C grade, indicating that audiences are also not on board. As a thriller with a modest budget, “Flight Risk” is probably in a decent enough position either way. Lionsgate usually covers financial risks by selling off the foreign rights to its films prior to release. However, exhibitors risk a weekend without a single eight-figure gross if the height projections decline. Since last February’s second weekend of Apple’s unsuccessful franchise opener “Argylle,” that hasn’t occurred.
And it’s not because there aren’t any new releases. Neon’s “Presence,” which made about $1.33 million from Friday and previews, is in fifth place. The horror movie, which is set in 1,750 locations, was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who used another visually striking formal premise—this time, filming the entire thing from a ghost’s point of view. “Presence” received positive reviews at the previous Sundance film festival a year ago. Most audiences don’t care as much. Horror tends to be contentious, but the film’s cinema score received a C+. After the film’s festival debut, Neon bought it for an undisclosed sum.
Angel Studios returns to theaters this weekend with “Brave the Dark,” which plays 2,230 locations and brings in roughly $920,000 from Friday and previews, placing it further outside the top five. Starring Jared Harris as an English teacher who starts to care for his troubled student (Nicholas Hamilton), the drama made its premiere at the Heartland Film Festival in October 2023. Although reviews are generally favorable, Angel has once again completely satisfied its intended audience, earning an impressive A rating on the Cinema Score.
“Mufasa: The Lion King,” which earned an additional $1.09 million on Friday, will claim the second position on the charts. By the end of this sixth weekend of release, the photorealistic computer-generated imagery prequel has a chance to have earned over $220 million domestically. Utilizing January’s lack of competition, the Disney release has demonstrated strong staying power following a lackluster debut.
With another $2.3 million on Friday and a projected $7.2 million for its second weekend, Sony’s “One of Them Days” takes home the bronze. That would be a healthy 40% decrease from when it first came out. During its first ten days of release, the comedy starring SZA and Keke Palmer will surpass a $24 million domestic total.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is currently in fourth place and is expected to earn an additional $5.01 million during its sixth weekend of release. With a domestic total of $225 million, the most recent adventure starring Sega’s iconic video game speedster will become the ninth highest-grossing film of 2024.
If “Presence” fails to attract the horror audience, Universal and Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man” might contend for fifth place. However, negative reviews have caught up to the cabin thriller, which is expected to make $3 million and see a 72% decline in its second weekend. With not much left in the tank, the domestic total should eke out $17 million this weekend.
In its ninth weekend of release, “Moana 2” is somehow also in the running for the top five. On Friday, the Disney sequel made $850,000 more. The market is genuinely silent when films that were released more than two months ago continue to rank highly on the charts.
