In a week that has been far from stellar for the domestic box office, the arrival of “Expendables 4” brought a glimmer of hope to moviegoers on Thursday night, albeit with a modest $750,000 in previews that commenced at 6 p.m.
The Expendables are a team of hired mercenaries led by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone). The team’s latest mission tasks them to recover a detonator villain Rahmat (Iko Uweis) stole from a Libyan general.
The Sylvester Stallone-Jason Statham-led action sequel, distributed jointly by Millennium Media and Lionsgate, is poised to be the standout wide release, with expectations set between $15 million to $17 million for its opening weekend. If it manages to surpass the $15.8 million opening weekend of 2014’s “The Expendables 3,” Lionsgate will have cause for celebration.
Sylvester Stallone envisioned the franchise as a bridge between legendary action movie icons and the emerging generation. While “Expendables 3” boasted the franchise’s largest ensemble cast, producers now acknowledge that releasing it with a PG-13 rating was a misstep, considering the strong support from action fans for the preceding two R-rated films.
“In hindsight, it’s clear that releasing a PG-13 ‘Expendables’ was a mistake when our core audience has such a strong affinity for the R-rated content,” Producer Les Weldon explained. “This is why we were unwavering in our commitment to returning to the franchise’s roots with a hard R rating.”
“Expendables 4” is flexing its muscle at 3,518 locations, including 900 Premium Large Format (PLF) screens such as XD, RPX, Dolby, 4DX, and D-box, and it’s not limited to just the United States, as the film’s reach extends to the UK.
Expendables 4: $750K In Thursday Previews
The $750,000 preview earnings, while promising, fall short of the takings from “Expendables 3,” which raked in $875,000 from showtimes beginning at 8 p.m., serving as a mild setback. However, it outperformed Gerard Butler’s “Plane,” another Lionsgate offering, which managed $625,000 in previews and a subsequent $10.2 million opening earlier this year.
For context, “Expendables 4” still trails Stallone’s pre-pandemic 2019 release, “Rambo: Last Blood,” which amassed $1.3 million from 7 p.m. showtimes, leading to an $18.8 million opening.
While “Expendables 4” may have garnered the lowest critical acclaim in the franchise’s history, sitting at a meager 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains a fan-favorite series. The first installment secured a B+ Cinemascore, with the sequels following suit with an A-.
Interestingly, the second entry, released in 2012, earned the highest critical rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics at 67%, while the original in 2010 stood at 41% and the third installment at 31%.
As the domestic box office struggled with its second-lowest weekend of 2023, raking in only $62.8 million, this weekend’s prospects don’t seem substantially brighter. However, A24’s re-release of Talking Heads’ iconic 1984 concert film “Stop Making Sense” in 300 IMAX locations and Barbie’s debut in the large-format exhibitor’s auditoriums aim to inject some energy into the marketplace.
Other notable performances this week included New Line’s “The Nun 2,” which concluded its second week with $19 million at 3,743 theaters, boasting a running total of $60 million after a $925,000 Thursday, marking an 8% drop from Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 20th Century Studios/Disney’s “A Haunting in Venice” secured second place on Thursday with an estimated $804,000, experiencing a 22% decline for a first-week total of $19 million across 3,305 theaters.
Sony’s “The Equalizer 3” saw a third week of $10 million at 3,528 theaters, with a $584,000 Thursday, reflecting a 10% decrease and a cumulative total of $76.5 million. This places it 9% behind the performance of “Equalizer 2” at the same stage, which ended at $102 million in 2018, and 9% behind the original 2014 film, which closed with $101.5 million domestically.
Focus Features’ second week of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” earned $6.9 million, bringing the running total to $20.8 million. Thursday saw $419,000 in earnings, down 11% from Wednesday, across 3,678 theaters.
Warner Bros.’ “Barbie,” prior to its Imax-heavy 10th weekend, enjoyed its ninth week with $5.1 million at 3,012 theaters, including a Thursday take of $315,000, representing a 10% increase from Wednesday, and a cumulative total of $627.2 million. It’s poised to become the 11th highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office, with Universal’s “Jurassic World” sitting at $653.4 million. This week’s Imax release features a fresh post-end credits sequence, adding to the allure of Barbie’s enduring appeal.
Despite the recent box office challenges, the industry remains hopeful for a resurgence in the months ahead, with an array of exciting films and events on the horizon.