Flight Riskhas ended a surprising 26-year streak for Mark Wahlberg and his action movies. The 2025 action-thriller directed by Mel Gibson put its star in an unusual role as the villain, as he played a killer posing as a pilot.Mark Wahlberg only played one villainbefore this movie, but he is no stranger to action movies. He’s used the genre to build his career in many ways. Whether it was franchises likeTransformersor other standalone films, Wahlberg became a major action movie star throughout his career, balancing the comedic and true story roles he also frequently takes.
As a result of this career direction, Mark Wahlberg has often found great success at the box office in his action roles.Flight Riskwas expected to continue that trend. WhileFlight Risk’s box officestarted on a strong note, claiming the #1 spot at the box office, interest declined sharply. Its theatrical run domestically is practically over less than two months later.Flight Riskhas made $43 million at the worldwide box office. That’s a low total for a Mark Wahlberg-led action movie, however you frame it. History backs that up, too, as it ends a major career trend.
Flight Risk Is Mark Wahlberg’s First Action Movie In 26 Years To Make Less Than $50 Million
He’s Consistently Blown Past That Mark In The Last Quarter Century
Flight Risk’s declining theater count and dwindling box office hauls mean that the movie is destined to finish its theatrical run with a total under $50 million. That’s notable for Mark Wahlberg, as he hasn’t had an action movie make less than that total since 1999. Other movies of his have made less since then, but they were not of the action genre. His trend of action movies making over $50 million began in 1999 withThree Kings. The action war movie co-starring George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze was Wahlberg’s biggest hit after making $107 million.
$1.1 billion
$602 million
$400 million
Planet of the Apes(2001)
$362 million
$328 million
$176 million
$149 million
$132 million
$122 million
$107 million
$98 million
$95 million
$92 million
$87 million
$81 million
$66 million
$52 million
$43 million
$27 million
The Corruptor(1999)
$15 million
Three Kingswas only the third action movie of Mark Wahlberg’s young career, followingThe Big Hit(1998) andThe Corruptor(which came out a few months earlier in 1999). Since then, he’s made 17 additional action movies, includingFlight Risk.The first 16 that followedThree Kingscontinued to exceed the $50 million box office milestone, withPatriots Daycoming the closest to ending the streak by only making $52 million.Flight Riskis still $7 million behind the milestone, and it shouldn’t get past that benchmark at this point, thus ending Wahlberg’s $50 million action movie streak.
Mark Wahlberg & Mel Gibson Were Expected To Turn Flight Risk Into A Bigger Box Office Hit
So What Went Wrong?
Based on Mark Wahlberg’s track record alone,Flight Riskshould have been a bigger box office hit. Mel Gibson’s history at the box office also indicated that the movie would be a sizable hit.Flight Riskbroke Gibson’s streakof making movies that grossed over $100 million, which was true for the last 30 years. The combination of Wahlberg and Gibson should have made the action thriller a big hit, especially since it came out in January when there was a lack of competition. The $25 million budget even positionedFlight Riskto turn a profit even if it underperformed.
Flight Risk really should have made anywhere between $50 million to $100 million based on Wahlberg and Gibson’s track records
The film was far from a disaster at the box office and still gave Lionsgate some success. However,Flight Riskreally should have made anywhere between $50 million to $100 million based on Wahlberg and Gibson’s track records. It even had the Wahlberg villain role hook to try and get more people interested. The fact that it didn’t continue Mark Wahlberg’s streak of action movies making at least $50 million at the box office is undoubtedly a surprise for all involved.
