Mel Gibson's New $40 Million Movie Luckily Avoided Breaking A Bad 32-Year-Old Box Office Record

Mel Gibson’s latest movie, Flight Risk, grossed only $40 million at the box office, only narrowly avoiding breaking a bad record in his filmmaking career. Mel Gibson’s best-directed movies include titles like Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge, some of the most outstanding in their respective genres, as well as major box office hits. Even The Passion of the Christ, his most controversial movie to date, grossed $612 million, warranting a sequel being developed over two decades later.

With Mark Wahlberg leading Flight Risk’s cast, the combination of a famous director and a movie star actor seemed like a surefire January hit, especially after the previous successes of Plane and The Beekeeper, which targeted a similar demographic. Flight Risk had a damning 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3/10 score on IMDb. The RT Audience Score, which is generally more favorable to action movies, wasn’t much better, with only a 63% score. Altogether, the results weren’t ideal, but poor reviews don't always equate to a low box office, especially when Mark Wahlberg is the lead.

Flight Risk Is Mel Gibson's Second-Lowest Movie At The Box Office He's Directed

The Man Without A Face Still Holds The Record

Flight Risk grossed only $40 million at the box office on its $25 million budget, falling short of almost every movie he’s made. However, the 2025 thriller stopped just short of being the lowest grossing movie Mel Gibson has directed. That record is still held by The Man Without a Face, Gibson’s directorial debut from 1993, which only made $37 million. His directorial debut wasn’t well received either, with only a 68% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though the film still arguably had the benefit of Gibson starring when he was in his prime, which was surely a box office draw.

Braveheart, his second film, grossed over $200 million and managed to win Best Picture, making it arguably the most astounding accomplishment of Gibson’s career, only rivaled by the Mad Max movies. Everything he’s directed since then has succeeded in some capacity, either at the box office or award acclaim, making Flight Risk a standout, even if it didn’t beat the record for being his lowest-grossing film. When considering inflation, one could even make the case that The Man Without a Face performed better.

Mel Gibson as Porter from Payback pointing a revolver with Mark Wahlberg as Booth smiling in Flight Risk

Mark Wahlberg's Next Film Can Make Up For His Disappointing Flight Risk Villain - By Remaking A 1990s Mel Gibson Thriller

Mark Wahlberg's first villain role in 30 years in Flight Risk didn't work, but his upcoming remake of a dark Mel Gibson thriller could redeem it.

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Flight Risk Is Still A Box Office Disappointment Based On Mel Gibson's Track Record

Flight Risk Should Have Been A Bigger Hit For Mel Gibson

Flight Risk's time at the box office isn't done yet, but it's hard to imagine it progressing much higher. Overall, this is a disappointment based on Mel Gibson's directorial track record, as it's the first movie he's made since Braveheart in 1995 to not gross over $100 million. This marks the end of an impressive streak for Gibson, which he'll hope to rekindle with The Passion of the Christ 2, which is finally in development. Still, it's not impossible that Flight Risk could eventually become a streaming hit.