Back in the late-aughts, when news broke that Sylvester Stallone was making an action movie that reassembled some of the biggest action stars from the ’80s, ’90s, and early-2000s, millions of men’s hearts skipped a beat. To see Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Eric Roberts, and Mickey Rourke together whooping bad guys at their respective ages? A dream come true. What none of us knew and expected back then was that the project titled “The Expendables” would turn into a massive action movie franchise (like “John Wick”), because it seemed ludicrous that these rapidly aging stars could do this for many more years.
And yet, as of 2026, the franchise counts four movies — all of them currently streaming on Netflix — with talks happening about a fifth installment that could possibly serve as a reboot. Despite the fact that Stallone officially announced after the fourth entry that he’s done with kicking ass as far as his character Barney Ross goes. He’s surely better off — especially since he’s been killing it on TV as Dwight Manfredi in Taylor Sheridan’s guilty pleasure gangster show, “Tulsa King” — given that “Expend4bles” delivered something that could only be described as a massive disappointment from every angle.
As much fun as the first and second films were, the third and fourth entries clearly indicated that very little meat is left on this once novel idea — and Stallone and company also began to run out of old-school action stars that could attract a crowd. The fourth film’s extremely poor crash and burn performance at the box office (and among critics) was almost inevitable. But before then, long-time fans surely had a blast — or two, to be exact.
The incredible power of nostalgia that The Expendables utilized to the max
Although the most successful of the four films in every aspect was “The Expendables 2,” personally, I still favor the first movie. The combo of unabashed nostalgia and childlike excitement of watching the heroes of my childhood was still a novelty then. Thus, every one-liner, over-the-top set piece, and bone-breaking brawl hit harder than what came after. Although critics were divided, “The Expendables” established the franchise solidly, garnering over $274 million worldwide against its mid-budget of $80 million.
The first sequel leaned hard into self-deprecating humor and making a mockery of its stars — with Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme entering the mix — and that approach proved to be a magical touch. Even critics warmed up to the aging brutes along with audiences, and “The Expendables 2” made bank: $314 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. So “The Expendables 3” had to come — with the notable additions of Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and more. By this point, however, something was palpably lacking. Most of the action fell as flat as the jokes, and this third outing felt like a mediocre potboiler its stars would’ve made when their careers had taken a turn for the worse decades earlier. A profit was still made though, cashing in $214 million on an $80 million budget.
Nine long years later, out of the blue, “Expend4bles” arrived, retaining few of its original characters and charm. Bringing in new players like Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais couldn’t save this outing from the trash heap. Critics loathed it, audiences no longer cared much, and the box office was telling: $51 million worldwide against a $100 million budget. Overall, “The Expendables” turned out to be an extremely lucrative franchise (its estimated revenue being over $840 million) with varying quality, and an amusing trip down memory lane. But outside from reliving those memories on Netflix, Stallone’s series should probably be left in the past.
