Weekend Box Office: FLIGHT RISK Propels to Top Spot in Another Muted January Weekend

Photo courtesy Lionsgate

1. Flight Risk
Lionsgate | NEW
$12M Domestic Opening Weekend

The Mel Gibson-helmed Flight Risk gave Lionsgate its second #1 opener of the year, taking in an estimated $12M in 3,161 theaters for a $3,796 Per Screen Average, in line with our forecasting panel’s pre-release expectations.

Here’s how the 3-Day looked…

  • Friday – $4.4M
  • Saturday – $5M
  • Sunday – $2.6M

In terms of star Mark Wahlberg, this was a better opening than his last two star outings—Arthur the King ($7.6M) and Father Stu ($5.4M)—while being around par compared to 2018 releases Mile 22 ($13.7M) and Instant Family ($14.5M). According to PostTrak, 32% of audiences came for Wahlberg specifically, though this performance may send the star right back to the comfort of streaming fare.

Reviews for the film were close to rock bottom with 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience scores were 63% with a “C” CinemaScore. Ticket buyers were split nearly even at 46% women/54% men, which can be attributed to Wahlberg’s appeal to the female segment despite playing a bald bad guy in this one. The Mel Gibson film also had very little youth appeal, with 45% of audiences over the age of 25.

Overall, Flight Risk was a January genre programmer, and it performed like one. It won’t have a significant impact on the Q1 box office, but it’ll keep the seats warm in theaters until some bigger titles open next week.

6. Presence
Neon | NEW
$3.4M Domestic Opening

Despite strong reviews (87% Certified Fresh on RT), Neon’s haunting chiller Presence did not connect with a wide audience as it took in $3.4M on 1,750 screens for a $1,951 PSA. The experimental horror film from Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh, which he shot entirely from the POV of the story’s ghost, was picked up by Neon for $5M at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and had built considerable buzz leading up to its launch this weekend.

Here’s how the 3-Day looked, including $385K in Thursday night previews…

  • Friday – $1.385M
  • Saturday – $1.23M
  • Sunday – $800K

Unfortunately the slow burn, subtle nature of the storytelling was not what genre fans were looking for, earning a 54% RT audience rating, 2 stars with PostTrak, and a “C+” CinemaScore. The biggest name in the cast was Lucy Liu who -despite visibility in recent tentpoles Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Red One– is not considered a major draw. As with Flight Risk there was very low youth appeal on Presence with 73% of ticket buyers over the age of 25. Audiences were 61% male. We mentioned earlier this week that this was going to open low but could be carried by word-of-mouth, though with these exit polls that’s not going to happen.

Other Notable Performances

Opening outside the Top 10 at #11 was Angel Studios’ faith-based Brave the Dark starring Jared Harris and Nicholas Hamilton which opened to $2,567,062 million on 2,230 screens for a $1,151 PSA. The high school drama was shot in 2021 and began playing festivals in 2023. It received an “A” CinemaScore.

Kino Lorber’s Liza Minnelli documentary Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story opened on one screen, NYC’s IFC Center, to an estimated $19,000. The studio released a statement saying they aare “thrilled with the box office results from our exclusive opening engagement” and that they will be expanding theatrical rollout in the coming months.

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates
Weekend 3 – 2025
Total 3-Day Domestic Estimates:
$66,273,673M | (+17.8% vs 2024)

Title Weekend Estimate % Change Locations Location Change PSA Domestic Total Week Distributor
Flight Risk $12,000,000   3,161   $3,796 $12,000,000 1 Lionsgate
Mufasa: The Lion King $8,700,000 -28% 3,420 -135 $2,544 $221,073,045 6 Walt Disney
One of Them Days $8,000,000 -32% 2,675 n/c $2,991 $25,091,000 2 Sony Pictures
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 $5,500,000 -36% 3,097 -209 $1,776 $226,096,000 6 Paramount Pi…
Moana 2 $4,300,000 -28% 2,550 -275 $1,686 $450,040,500 9 Walt Disney
Presence $3,415,000   1,750   $1,951 $3,415,000 1 Neon
Wolf Man $3,400,000 -69% 3,354 n/c $1,014 $17,810,000 2 Universal
A Complete Unknown $3,100,000 -17% 2,010 -490 $1,542 $62,946,833 5 Searchlight …
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera $3,000,000 -55% 2,108 -900 $1,423 $31,850,577 3 Lionsgate
The Brutalist $2,873,057 46% 1,118 780 $2,570 $9,333,947 6 A24
Brave the Dark $2,567,062   2,230   $1,151 $2,567,062 1 Angel Studios
Wicked $2,400,000 -33% 2,131 -221 $1,126 $468,833,000 10 Universal
Nosferatu $2,050,000 -51% 1,973 -572 $1,039 $93,202,000 5 Focus Features
The Seed of the Sacred Fig $1,244,000 +3,172 16 -4 $77,750 $1,705,934 9 Neon
Babygirl $891,596 -54% 777 -683 $1,147 $27,155,912 5 A24
September 5 $770,000 120% 395 274 $1,949 $1,694,000 7 Paramount Pi…
The Colors Within $378,022   570   $663 $378,022 1 GKIDS
Nickel Boys $340,172 14% 540 300 $630 $1,505,584 7 Amazon MGM S…
Homestead $222,875 -61% 500 -500 $446 $20,655,061 6 Angel Studios
Flow $170,600 -33% 221 -104 $772 $3,715,809 10 Janus Films
Hard Truths $166,053 16% 542 421 $306 $619,578 8 Bleecker Street
Gladiator II $160,000 -67% 237 -377 $675 $172,388,000 10 Paramount Pi…
Anora $135,500 -27% 317 -219 $427 $15,063,764 15 Neon
Inheritance $132,222   627   $211 $132,222 1 IFC Films
Conclave $90,000 -39% 310 -232 $290 $31,911,000 14 Focus Features
A Real Pain $76,000 27% 180 125 $422 $8,229,859 13 Searchlight …
The Wild Robot $51,000 -84% 249 -827 $205 $143,880,000 18 Universal
All We Imagine as Light $48,700 19% 48 14 $1,015 $983,053 11 Janus Films
Kraven the Hunter $45,000 -64% 184 -192 $245 $24,849,000 7 Sony Pictures
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story $19,000   1   $19,000 $19,000 1 Kino Lorber
Vermiglio $16,200 0 14 3 $1,157 $129,831 5 Janus Films
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat $11,614 -24% 7 -3 $1,659 $245,022 13 Kino Lorber
Photo courtesy Lionsgate

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