Reviving a franchise almost a decade after it had delivered its worst-reviewed and lowest-grossing installment yet was a hugely risky proposition, one that ended up backfiring in equal parts spectacular and horrendous fashion for EXPEND4BLES.
Opting to water down the threequel and secure a PG-13 rating was a mistake that proved to be almost fatal, but not even a return to its R-rated roots could prevent the aging band of action heroes for headlining one of the year’s most catastrophic bombs. By comparison, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham would have killed for the numbers brought in by The Expendables 3, which says it all.
Whereas the third installment set new lows with a 31 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and theatrical haul of $214 million, EXPEND4BLES has arrived on digital and VOD carrying a measly 14 percent score on the aggregation site having shifted just $47 million in tickets against an estimated $100 million budget. Disaster doesn’t even begin to cover it, but at least people are watching from the comfort of their own homes.
Director Scott Waugh’s disastrous attempt at a revival may not have convinced anybody to catch it at the multiplex, but with FlixPatrol naming it as one of the Top 10 most-watched titles on iTunes in the United States following its small screen debut this past Friday, it might just be able to capture an audience. Suffice to say, though, the chances of EXPENDABLE5 are slim-to-none at their very best looking at how cataclysmically the planned resurrection fell flat.