Jason StathamandSylvester Stalloneare about to team up in the new action thriller,A Working Man, and many critics will be hoping it can make up for their last collaboration onExpend4bles. However, as action fans await the new movie’s arrival, the fourth movie in Stallone’sExpendablesfranchise has made an unexpected leap up to 4th position onSTARZ’s movie chart.
Despite the film being slammed by critics to the tune of a 14% Tomatometer score, audiences had a completely different view on the latest entry in the testosterone-driven franchise that has at one time or another included every great action star of the 1980s.Expend4blessawStallone once again returning to the role of Barny Ross, and bringing plenty of old and new friends to the party. Along with Statham stepping up as a new lead in the franchise, the movie included appearances from Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. The synopsis of the movie reads:
“Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.”
‘Expend4bles’ Did Not Deliver at the Box Office
Sometimes, you know exactly what you are going to get when you see the cast of a movie.Expend4blesis certainly one of those films. Full of big tough men, sexy women, and plenty of bang for your buck, Stallone took a back seat this time around, withStatham steps into the void with his usual macho swagger. For audiences, this was more than enough to warrant a 70% approval score, but that did not translate to an explosive box office.
Coming with a $100 million budget,Expend4blesonly took $51.1 million worldwide when it was released in September 2023. That loss was slightly eased by the movie’s performance on streaming and digital releases, but certainly put a question mark over any future installments of the franchise happening.
Jason Statham Is ‘A Working Man’ in First Trailer for His 2025 Action Thriller
The action thriller sees The Stath reunite with ‘The Beekeeper’ director David Ayer.
One person who knew exactly why the film failed was star Dolph Lundgren. In a candid interview withScreenRant, the veteran action hero said:
“I didn’t read the reviews, because I kind of knew what they were gonna say. That project had issues from the beginning, and it usually starts with the script. It really didn’t really have a good script. I’m not playing the lead, so it’s hard for me to weigh in on some of those issues, but I know Stallone wasn’t involved, like he usually is. He just played a character in it, and when he’s in charge, the quality is going to be pretty good, it doesn’t drop below a certain level. But he wasn’t involved, so I think the problem was with the script, and then the director was replaced, like, a month before shooting.”
Expend4bles
The cast of The Expendables re-unites again as Sylvestor Stallone, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren fight side-by-side in another all-out action film.
