Mel Gibson clearly brought energy to the "Flight Risk" set as director ... emanating the intensity of his iconic character William Wallace in a promo pushing his newest film -- face paint and all.

Elsewhere, "Mufasa" holds strong at second, "Presence" makes its box office debut, and "The Brutalist" expands to maintain its footing in the top 10.

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,