Critics lambasted it and audiences didn't grade it much better. But despite the turbulence, Mel Gibson's "Flight Risk" managed to open No. 1 at the box office with a modest $12 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Mark Wahlberg stars in the genre pic, which marks Gibson's first directorial effort in nearly a decade. Elsewhere, Steven Soderbergh's artsy haunted house thriller 'Presence' opened in 1,750 cinemas.

Elsewhere, "Mufasa" holds strong at second, "Presence" makes its box office debut, and "The Brutalist" expands to maintain its footing in the top 10.

"Flight Risk," an action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, was No. 1 in a glacially slow weekend at the box office.

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,

Mel Gibson's new action film "Flight Risk" has topped the North American box office, taking in an estimated $12 million on a slow winter weekend, industry analysts said Sunday.

Critics lambasted it and audiences didn't grade it much better. But despite the turbulence, Mel Gibson's 'Flight Risk' managed to open No. 1 at the box office.