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Mark Wahlberggoes sharply against the heroic type with his unhinged performance in the thriller filmFlight Risk, in which he plays an initially seemingly trustworthy pilot who is tasked with transporting a female Air Marshal and her star witness across the Alaskan wilderness, where the passengers quickly suspect that Wahlberg’s character, known simply as the pilot, isn’t whom he appears to be.
Flight Riskwas directed by Mel Gibson, whose last feature directorial outing was the acclaimed2016 biographical war filmHacksaw Ridge. Given that Gibson and Wahlberg’s careers have been primarily devoted to streaming-oriented projects in recent years,it was mildly surprising when distributor Lionsgate decided to give the modestly budgetedFlight Riska wide theatrical release.
However, the decision to releaseFlight Risktheatrically in January was ominous, as January is cynically viewed by audiences and critics as being a month in which theatrical releases are sent to die, so to speak. Accordingly, whileFlight Risk, which was originally set to be released last October, finished first at the domestic box office in its opening weekend of release, this turned out to be a symbolic victory, as seen with the film’s lackluster current box-office total.
The only seemingly encouraging aspect of the underwhelming box-office performance ofFlight Riskis that the film’s box-office gross hasenabled Wahlberg to enter the listof the 40 highest-grossing leading actors of all time,a list on which Wahlberg presently ranks just above previous co-stars Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio.
‘Flight Risk’ Quickly Ran Out of Box-Office Runway
Flight Risk
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In its opening weekend of domestic release,Flight Risk, which carries a production cost of $25 million, was projected to gross between $9 million and $11 million.Flight Riskdebuted in the top spotat the domestic box office with an opening weekend gross of nearly $11.6 million in a depressed box-office weekend in which the film finished ahead of the holdover releaseMufasa: The Lion King.Flight Riskstar Mark Wahlberg’s last theatrical release, the 2024 adventure filmArthur the King, debuted in third position at the domestic box office with an opening weekend gross of just over $7.6 million.
Plagued by negative critical reviews, along with the stigma of being released during the unofficial theatrical dumping month of January, the film fell to fifth place in its second weekend of domestic release, with a gross of $5.4 million. Through its third weekend of theatrical release,Flight Riskhas a current domestic gross of approximately $25.8 million, along with an overseas gross of $12.3 million,for a current worldwide total of approximately $38.1 million.
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With a marketing cost of $20 million,Flight Riskneeds to gross approximately $65 to $75 million at the worldwide box office to reach its theatrical break-even point. However, the film doesn’t seem to be at all a box-office play for distributor Lionsgate, which gaveFlight Riska wide theatrical release for the clear purpose of promoting the film’s streaming debut. Indeed,the streaming debut forFlight Riskwas set for Valentine’s Day, just three weeks after the film’s theatrical debut.
Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson Have Dwindling Box-Office Appeal
Some people have attributed the negative reviews forFlight Risk, which presently holds a 30% Rotten Tomatoes rating, to directorMel Gibson’s controversiesand star Mark Wahlberg’s political beliefs. However, Gibson’s last feature directorial outing,Hacksaw Ridge, was a commercial and critical success, which received six Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director Oscar nomination for Gibson.
30 Years Before ‘Flight Risk,’ Mark Wahlberg Played His Only Other Villain
Mark Wahlberg, known for his ‘everyman’ roles, breaks type for the first time since ‘Fear’ 30 years ago as he stars in Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk.’
For the 53-year-old Wahlberg, the tepid audience and critical response toFlight Riskis further evidence of a gradual career decline over the past decade. As a star,Wahlberg hasn’t had a major box-office hit since the IP-driven 2022 adventure filmUncharted, thoughthe success ofUncharted, which grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office, was largely attributed to the presence of co-star Tom Holland. ExcludingUncharted,Flight Riskis Wahlberg’s highest-grossing film since the2018 comedy-drama filmInstant Family, which grossed just over $120 million at the worldwide box office.
Wahlberg Reached a Dubious Box-Office Milestone With ‘Flight Risk’
WithFlight Risk,Mark Wahlberg’s feature-starring vehicles have grossed a combined total of $2.742 billion at the domestic box office. Wahlberg is now ranked number 40 on the list of the highest-grossing leading actors of all time, just ahead of Denzel Washington, Wahlberg’s co-star in the2013 action comedy film2 Guns, and Leonardo DiCaprio, Wahlberg’s co-star in the Academy Award-winning 2006 crime thriller filmThe Departed, for which Wahlberg received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
As the list only includes leading roles in Wahlberg’s career, beginning with the role of Eddie Adams, aka Dirk Diggler, in the 1997 drama filmBoogie Nights,The Departed, which grossed more than $130 million at the domestic box office, isn’t included, nor is the overseas box office, where Wahlberg’s starring vehicles have grossed more than $3 billion. However, the publicity generated from Wahlberg’s inclusion on this list has provided a reprieve from the negativity surroundingFlight Risk, which has become a major non-event.Flight Riskis now available for purchase onApple TV,Google Play, andPrime Video.
