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.

Wahlberg plays a pilot flying a federal agent (Michelle Dockery) and a fugitive (Topher Grace) across Alaska in the thrilling flick. Wahlberg and his wife Durham, who tied the knot in 2009, share four kids: Ella, 20, Michael, 18, Brendan, 15 and Grace, 14, who all found their dad’s new do rather funny.