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.

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.

Like its fellow January release “Den of Thieves: Pantera,” “Flight Risk” follows the Lionsgate blueprint of being a low budget thrill ride financed through slate deals, co-production partnerships and foreign sales that will allow it to clear a low break-even point.