It seemsThe Expendablesare a little rusty after nearly ten years away from the big screen.Expend4bles, the latest entry inthe bombastic action franchise, was the only new wide release on Thursday night and managed to score a modest $750,000 from box office previews with showtimes beginning at 6 p.m. at 3,518 locations across the U.S. As it gears up for a proper run starting this weekend, it’s expected to rake in $15 to $17 million domestically over its debut.
While it would make Lionsgate happy to see the franchise rebound in the U.S. and pass 2014’sThe Expendables 3at $15.8 million, the previews don’t portend a bright future ahead for the film whichreunitesSylvester Stallone,Dolph Lundgren, andJason Stathamamong others. Despite projections,Expend4blesis already lagging behind the third film which pulled in $875,000 from screenings starting even later at 8 p.m. The saving grace is that the domestic box office is hardly the best indicator of success. WhileThe Expendableswould put up modest numbers in the U.S. in its prime, the film printed money overseas withThe Expendables 3managing $175.3 million internationally against a paltry $39.3 million domestically. With a $100 million budget,Expend4bleswill need to nearly replicate that performance in order to turn a profit.
It seems more likely than not that the fourth film will open to the lowest box office debut of the entire franchise, though that’s hardly unexpected considering the long wait between the films andthe rollercoaster ride it took to get it to release. Ideas fizzling out,Stallone initially leaving the project altogether, a change in director from the returningPatrick HughestoHidden Strike’sScott Waugh, and the COVID-19 pandemic plagued the film over that long wait. WithExpend4blesnot expected to make a huge splash, it should be another very quiet weekend at the box office afterlast week’s slateincludingThe Nun II,The Equalizer 3, andA Haunting in Veniceonly pulled $62.8 million total.
What’s in Store for the ‘Expend4bles’?
Expend4bleswillreunite the elite group of mercenariesfor one final mission of vital performance. Tasked with taking down a mysterious arms dealer with a private army, veteran members Barney Ross (Stallone), Lee Christmas (Statham), Gunner Jensen (Lundgren), and Toll Road (Randy Couture) arejoined by some new bloodincludingCurtis “50 Cent” Jackson,Megan Fox,Andy Garcia,Jacob Scipio,Levy Tran,Tony Jaa,Sheila Shah, andEddie Hallin a new mission tosend the action franchise outon an emotional note. The screenplay was penned byMax Adams,Kurt Wimmer, andTad Daggerhart.
So far,the injection of new talentinto the franchise hasn’t been enough to saveExpend4bles. Reviews have been largely negative with a 14% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. Collider’sChase Hutchinsonwas also unimpressed with the sendoff, givingExpend4blesa D and saying “The occasional moment of machine gun motorcycle jousting aside, it is a largely dull and dreary experience that never feels like it is ever anything more than a hollow mimicry of far better action works of the past.”
