SOARIN’

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

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

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.