Why hasThe Expendablesfranchise crashed and burned so hard, and is a fifth movie still possible?The Expendablesis one of the biggestSylvester Stallone action franchises,with the first entry arriving back in 2010. The series sold itself on its pairing of action greats, with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, and many more teaming up onscreen for the first time.The Expendablesmoviesarrived during a strange time for the genre, where PG-13 comic book movies were the norm, while the action films Stallone made his name on were out of vogue.
That’s what madeThe Expendablesfeel so refreshing - even if they all received critical brickbats. The series felt bulletproof before the arrival of the third entry, and there was even talk ofa female-focused spinoff dubbedThe Expendabelles.Cut to 2025,the property’s future is looking bleak, and there’s a good chanceExpendables 5will never happen. Considering how strongThe Expendablesbegan, its collapse is borderline impressive.
The First Two Expendables Movies Were Box Office Hits
Audiences were nostalgic for The Expendables' brand of mayhem
AfterRocky BalboaandRambo (2008)revived his career following a run of duds, Stallone createdThe Expendablesas a new franchise for himself. The project actually began as a dark thriller following a group of burnt-out mercenaries, butexcitement about its announcement saw Stallone turn the film into a love letter to 1980s actioninstead. Stallone directed the first entry too, which promised a return to the old-fashioned, R-rated thrills of his career heyday. This propelled bothThe ExpendablesandThe Expendables 2to box office success - and the future looked bright.
$268,268,174
42%
$311,979,25
67%
$209,461,378
32%
$51,133,603
14%
There are valid critiques that could be flung at the first two entries. Much of their humor falls flat, the action is often choppy and overedited and the cinematography can be flat and colorless. Still, their impressive ensembles and retro stylings made them a fun night out.The Expendables 2grossed even more than its predecessor, with the sequel dialing back on the darker themes while delivering more impressive action.
The Expendables 3 Was The Franchise’s First Misstep – What Went Wrong
A PG-13 Expendables is not what audiences signed up for
It’s a relatively obscure piece of trivia thatChuck Norris almost forcedThe Expendables 2to be PG-13. The Christian actor agreed to appear in the sequel so long as it had no foul language and was a film younger viewers could enjoy. Stallone would later confirm (viaAICN) that the PG-13 reports were true, butafter a vocal backlash, the sequel was re-edited to include CG-enhanced bloodshed, resulting in an R rating.
Now, some people might look at what happened toExpendables 2as a lesson not to mess with the franchise’s formula by watering it down; that’s not the lesson producers took away, sadly.The Expendables 3was built from the ground up as a PG-13 experience with the specific intent of bringing in younger viewersto the saga. Tapping into the same audience that goes to seeFast & Furious 6might sound good on paper, but since the series was built around R-rated action, this became a big problem.
Hype for The Expendables 3 was already muted due to its rating, but the film suffered another blow when it leaked online just prior to release…
Despite the large bodycount, the threequel is a bloodless affair, and the action just becomes dull after a time. Another issue withThe Expendables 3is how overstuffed it is; with the old and new Expendables included, there are too many characters and subplots to track. The sequel also suffered a blow when Bruce Willis refused to return as the team’s CIA contact,with Stallone lambasting even Willis onX/Twitter, stating “GREEDY AND LAZY . . . A SURE FORMULA FOR CAREER FAILURE.”
Hype forThe Expendables 3was already muted due to its rating, but the film suffered another blow when it leaked online just prior to release. While the sequel didn’t bomb, it grossed $100 million less than the second film and resulted in an extended hiatus for the series.
The Expendables 4 Took 9 Years To Happen (And It Was A Colossal Flop)
Expend4bles was truly 4bomin4ble
FollowingThe Expendables 3’sunderperformance, spinoffs likeThe ExpendabellesorThe Expendables: A Christmas Storywere mooted, but none came together. For a time, it appeared the franchise might be done entirely, but a fourth entry eventually came together - but it made some sweeping changes. Stallone’s role was reduced to a guest appearance, while the film moved away from nabbing action icons in favor of building a team made up of recognizable faces like Andy Garcia, Megan Fox and 50 Cent.
The Rock In An Expendables Movie Would’ve Continued The Franchise’s Best Villain Trend That Began With Jean-Claude Van Damme
Dwayne Johnson once revealed his dream role in The Expendables, and it would continue a villain trend that began back with the second film.
The Expendables 4felt like it was stripping away the gimmicks in favor of creating a lean action experience, but it proved to be the weakest entry to date.Expenda4blesdoesn’t have an original idea in its head and is littered with distractingly poor CGI and greenscreen. The action itself is serviceable if bland, the story is generic slop andthe twist involving the “death” of Stallone’s Barneyis staggeringly unconvincing.
Expendables 4 is an utter mess; a sloppy, badly stitched-together blockbuster that only briefly comes to life during a brief section where Statham and Tony Jaa’s characters team up…
The Expendables 4was a critical and commercial disaster, and barely grossed half its production budget back. It didn’t help the sequel’s chances that it had been close to a decade since the previous outing, which wasalsoa big letdown. Regardless,Expendables 4is an utter mess; a sloppy, badly stitched-together blockbuster that only briefly comes to life during a brief section where Statham and Tony Jaa’s characters team up during the second act.
Will The Expendables 5 Happen?
Has the franchise become Expendable?
Despite sporadic claims a fifthExpendablesis in development, the response to the fourth film suggests otherwise. The sequel was hated by critics and viewers alike, andthe factExpend4blesdidn’t make any money won’t convince producers to rush ahead with another. If a fifth film does happen, it probably won’t be for at least another five years and won’t feature the team in its current configuration.
Stars like Jackie Chan, Kurt Russell and Donnie Yen have turned down roles inThe Expendablesseries over the years.
Some key players like Statham or Stallone may reappear, but it should really focus on a new team.The stink ofExpendables 4will stick to the property for some time, so letting audiences forget about it will only aid the chances ofExpendables 5happening someday. The series needs a serious facelift following the third and fourth chapters, and another sequel in the same mold would be a terrible call.
What The Expendables 5 Would Need To Save The Franchise
It might be time for the team to get Expended
One of the strangest calls ofThe Expendablesis that, to date, only one team member has died: Liam Hemsworth’s sniper, Billy the Kid. Stallone doesn’t believe in killing off characters to create drama, which is why his team has a shockingly high survival rate. One of the first changes a fifthExpendablesshould make is canceling that rule;the films badly need to introduce some stakes, including letting the occasional teammate die.
The franchise could use some fresh faces too, so adding more luminaries such as Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron or even Dwayne Johnson would get audiences excited about the franchise again. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to scale back on CG effects either, and after the performance of part four, a smaller budget would help reduce the financial risk. Finally, nabbing a director with a strong vision and knack for working with big ensembles (John Woo, David Ayer, Guy Ritchie, etc), would help steerThe Expendablesship in the right direction.
The Expendables
The Expendablesis an American action film franchise created by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone. It revolves around a team of elite mercenaries and serves as an homage to 1980s and 1990s blockbuster action films, featuring iconic action stars. The franchise includes four films, released between 2010 and 2023, along with comic books, video games, and potential spin-offs, including a canceled all-female film. Known for its ensemble cast and explosive action,The Expendablescelebrates both classic and modern action heroes.
Cast
The Expendables is the first film in the action franchise that follows the exploits of a close team of mercenaries that complete dangerous jobs worldwide. Hired by a covert operator, the Expendables are tasked with heading to South America to deal with a dangerous dictator and liberate a country from his oppressive rule. However, they soon learn that the dictator is a front, leaving them caught in a dangerous mission with a threat higher up the chain than they could have imagined.
