Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk’ is No. 1 at Box Office, ‘The Brutalist’ Expands

FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
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Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk’ is No. 1 at Box Office, ‘The Brutalist’ Expands

FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

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.
On a quiet weekend, even for the typically frigid movie-going month of January, the top spot went to the Lionsgate thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as a pilot flying an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) and fugitive (Topher Grace) across Alaska. But it wasn’t a particularly triumphant result for Gibson’s directorial follow-up to 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge.” Reviews (21% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “C” CinemaScore) were terrible.
President Donald Trump recently named Gibson a “special ambassador” to Hollywood, along with Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone.
Going into the weekend, Hollywood’s attention was more focused on the Sundance Film Festival and on Thursday’s Oscar nominations, which were twice postponed by the wildfires in the Los Angeles region, The Associated Press reported.
The weekend was also a small test as to whether the once more common Oscar “bump” that can sometimes follow nominations still exists. Most contenders have by now completed the bulk of their theatrical runs and are more likely to see an uptick on VOD or streaming.
But the weekend’s most daring gambit was A24 pushing Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” a three–and-a-half-hour epic nominated for 10 Academy Awards, into wide release. Though some executives initially greeted “The Brutalist,” which is running with an intermission, as “un-distributable,” Corbet has said, A24 acquired the film out of the Venice Film Festival and it’s managed solid business, collecting $6 million in limited release.
In wide release, it earned $2.9 million — a far from blockbuster sum but the best weekend yet for “The Brutalist.”
The audience was downright miniscule for another best-picture nominee: RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys.” Innovatively shot almost entirely in first-person POV, the Amazon MGM Studios release gathered just $340,171 in 540 locations after expanding by 300 theaters.
Coming off one of the lowest Martin Luther King Jr. weekends in years, no new releases made a major impact.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence,” a well-reviewed horror film shot from the perspective of a ghost inside a suburban home, debuted with $3.4 million in 1,750 locations. The film, released by Neon and acquired out of last year’s Sundance, was made for just $2 million.
The top spots otherwise went to holdovers. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” in its sixth weekend of release, scored $8.7 million to hold second place. After starting slow, the Barry Jenkins-directed film has amassed $626.7 million globally.
“One of Them Days,” the Keke Palmer and SZA led comedy from Sony Pictures, held well in its second weekend, dropping just 32% with $8 million in ticket sales. In recent years, few comedies have found success on the big screen, but “One of Them Days” has proven an exception.



Kim Kardashian Will Testify at Paris Jewellery Theft Trial, Says Lawyer 

Kim Kardashian attends the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Kim Kardashian attends the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Kim Kardashian Will Testify at Paris Jewellery Theft Trial, Says Lawyer 

Kim Kardashian attends the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Kim Kardashian attends the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

US reality television star Kim Kardashian is to testify in person at an upcoming French trial over an armed robbery of her jewellery in Paris in 2016, her US lawyer Michael Rhodes said Monday.

A French court is from April 28 to try six people over the gem heist in October 2016 that saw masked men walk away from Kardashian's luxurious Paris apartment with millions of dollars worth of jewels, including a diamond ring gifted by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West.

The trial is to run until May 23, and Kardashian is to appear on May 13, according to a provisional schedule.

In what has been called the biggest French holdup targeting an individual in 20 years, Kardashian was robbed of jewellery worth an estimated six million euros ($6.8 million at current rates) while she was staying at a luxury residence during Paris fashion week.

Among the suspects arrested four months later in Paris and in the south of France is Aomar Ait Khedache, known as "Old Omar", who is thought to be the ringleader of the gang.

Two investigating magistrates ordered the suspects to stand trial by jury -- which in France is reserved for the most serious crimes -- on charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and membership of a criminal gang.

In the night of October 2-3, 2016, several men, some impersonating police officers, entered the hotel where Kardashian, who was then 36, was staying.

Two of the intruders put guns to her head, and one, Kardashian later told detectives, addressed her "with a very strong French accent" in English, telling her to hand over a ring she was wearing.

They then tied her up, gagged her and carried her into the bathroom.

Three men meanwhile kept watch at the reception, and one was waiting at the wheel of a getaway car.

In addition to the ring, which featured an 18.88-carat near-flawless diamond, the group made off with several more pieces of gold and diamond jewellery.

One of the alleged robbers, Yunice Abbas, fleeing the scene on a bicycle, dropped a diamond-encrusted cross worth 30,000 euros, which was found by a passer-by a few hours later.

The thieves lost a few more items while on the run, but the bulk of the bounty has never been found and is believed to have been sold in Belgium.