Despite poor reviews (including from our own Tyler Nichols), Mel Gibson’s Flight Risk, starring an atypically evil Mark Wahlberg, is set to top the box office this weekend. It earned $4.4 million on Friday, with Variety estimating that it’s on track for an $11 million weekend. That’s actually significantly less than the $14 million we predicted. Still, according to a press release from Lionsgate, “this is a strong result for the modestly budgeted film which is on its way to becoming a significant money maker for the studio.” 

However, the movie’s box office momentum could decline precipitously today, given that it’s been slammed with an atrocious C CinemaScore grade. This is unusual for Gibson, whose films as a director have been crowdpleasers. Perhaps the thriller genre is an odd fit for a director who seems much more comfortable directing epics like Braveheart, Hacksaw Ridge, Apocalypto, and The Passion of the Christ.

Otherwise, Mufasa: The Lion King and the Keke Palmer/SZA word-of-mouth hit One of Them Days seem to be on track for solid second weekends, with both likely to gross around $7-8 million a piece. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shouldn’t be far behind, with $5 million. Neon’s Steven Soderbergh movie, Presence is bombing with a fifth-place finish. It will be lucky to hit $3 million this weekend, with it also receiving a poor C+ grade from CinemaScore. Likely, horror fans were disappointed when they realized it’s essentially a family drama with a supernatural twist. There is no word yet on how Wolf Man is performing in its second weekend after an abysmal start. We’ll be back tomorrow with a full wrap-up of the weekend box office. 

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