Will There Be An Expendables 5 Movie?

Despite some persistent rumors, Expendables 5 has not yet received any official confirmation.

A failed return for the fourth episode

Released in September 2023, Expend4bles was to relaunch a saga that had been dormant for almost ten years. With a budget estimated at $100 million, the film hoped to repeat the success of previous installments. But the reality of the box office was relentless with barely 51 million collected worldwide, including only 16.7 million in the United States. A result well below the break-even point, and above all, very far from the 274 million of the first opus!

The reviews were just as harsh, with a score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film attracted the wrath of spectators and historical fans alike. Dated special effects, agreed scenario, mechanical dialogues, everything is there. Even the raw energy of the stars, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Stallone, was not enough to save the ensemble. The public seems to have turned the page on this concept of a dream team of action veterans.

The end of an era?

The sinking ofExpendables 4 logically cooled the ardor of producers. According to several sources, the license is currently on hold. Hollywood does not rule out a fifth part, but the project is not in any known schedule. Especially since Sylvester Stallone, now 79 years old, himself announced that he was bowing out of the franchise after the fourth film, leaving Jason Statham as a potential successor… without real success.

Despite everything, a few signs offer slight hope. Dolph Lundgren said in an interview that Stallone “always working on something“.A hypothetical Expendables 5 could therefore see the light of day in a different form, that is to say more modest, centered on new faces, or even designed for streaming. A logical development at a time when platforms are recovering more and more licenses that are losing momentum in cinema.

A saga victim of its own formula

The decline of The Expendables also illustrates the running out of steam in a certain nostalgic action cinema. What worked in 2010, seeing the legends of the era Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis and company come together, today struggles to seduce an audience accustomed to other codes such as superheroes, modern franchises, or more realistic action. The punchy effect of the stars coming together no longer works, especially when digital effects replace the real sweat and stunts of yesteryear.

To survive, the franchise will undoubtedly have to reinvent itself. But after such a clear failure, it seems unlikely that the studios will put 100 million back on the table without a guaranteed return. If Expendables 5 were to exist one day, it would probably be in a lighter, more ironic version, conscious of its own caricature.

For now, fans will have to be content with memories with explosions, punchlines, and this image of Stallone eternally clinging to his machine gun. The Expendables may not be dead, but he’s clearly no longer immortal.