“Flight Risk,” an action thriller directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg as a balding, unhinged pilot, landed in first place with $12 million from 3,161 North American theaters in its opening weekend.

It’s the second consecutive Lionsgate release, following “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” to debut at No. 1 as the studio takes advantage of January’s otherwise desolate box office landscape. Case in point: Second place went to Disney’s “Mufasa” which opened six weeks ago. The “Lion King” prequel added an additional $8.7 million from 3,420 cinemas, bringing its tally to $221 million in North America and $626.7 million globally.

“Flight Risk” brought in another $4.2 million from 39 international territories over the weekend, boosting its worldwide haul to $16.2 million. The film cost $25 million, so it’ll need to keep flying during its theatrical run. That could be challenging because critics and audiences lambasted the film, which holds a dismal 21% average on Rotten Tomatoes...