Industry News

Trump’s New Hollywood Pal Mel Gibson Wins This Week’s Box Office Battle

SOARIN’

Mel Gibson’s latest directorial effort earned its fair share at the box office—but it hasn’t captured critics’ hearts.

Mel Gibson
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Despite a notable January slump, the box office still saw some promising contenders this weekend with director Mel Gibson’s action-thriller Flight Risk topping the charts. Although Gibson’s sixth directorial effort was generally panned by critics, it opened on a promising note and grossed $12 million domestically by the weekend’s close. The Mark Wahlberg-led film also earned $16.2 million globally and marks Gibson’s first project to be released after he was named a “special ambassador” to Hollywood by President Donald Trump in January, alongside Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone. Meanwhile, Mufasa: The Lion King continued to roar despite premiering six weeks ago and added another $8.7 million to its domestic gross. Keke Palmer and SZA’s One of Them Days came in third with an additional $8 million in domestic ticket sales, a strong showing for a comedy on the silver screen. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Moana 2 also haven’t faltered much, earning $5.5 million and $4.1 million respectively in domestic sales.

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