Lionsgate has announced that Flight Risk, the highly anticipated suspense thriller from Mel Gibson, will now hit theaters on January 24, 2025. Originally slated for an October 18, 2024 release, the studio made the decision to push the release date, giving the film a quieter opening weekend. It will now contend with Disney-inspired indie horror comedy Screamboat and IFC Films’ thriller Inheritance, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans.
Flight Risk, starring Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace, and Michelle Dockery, is based on a 2020 Black List script by Jared Rosenberg. The plot sees Wahlberg step into the role of a pilot tasked with transporting an Air Marshal (Dockery) and a fugitive (Grace) across the Alaskan wilderness. As the flight progresses, trust is strained, and tensions rise, as the trio uncovers that not everyone on board is who they seem to be.
Why Has ‘Flight Risk’ Been Delayed?
The delay to 2025 shifts Flight Risk away from a busy October frame, which included Paramount Pictures’ horror sequel Smile 2,Neon’s Palme d’Or winner Anora by Sean Baker, and Roadside Attractions’ drama Exhibiting Forgiveness. The new January date offers a clearer path for the film’s debut, which is expected to drum up significant attention, thanks in part to its star-studded cast and Gibson’s return to directing.
Flight Risk marks Gibson’s first time behind the camera since 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge, a critically acclaimed war drama that earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. The film starred Andrew Garfield as a conscientious observer during the Second World War. Gibson is producing the film alongside Bruce Davey through their production company, Icon Productions, and Davis Entertainment. Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios is also backing the project.
Lionsgate is positioning Flight Risk as a major tentpole for early 2025, joining a strong slate of upcoming films. The studio’s next release is the Dave Bautista action-comedy The Killer’s Game, scheduled for September 13. Other projects hitting screens this year include horror films Bagman and Never Let Go (both out on September 20), the thriller Amber Alert (September 27), and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (also September 27).
Fans of Gibson’s directorial work and Wahlberg’s action-packed roles will have to wait a little longer, but Flight Risk promises to deliver a gripping thriller set against the stark backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. With suspense, deception, and high-stakes tension, Flight Risk looks set to take off in early 2025.
via Collider