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Lionsgate and Sylvester Stallone could sure use a fresh hit when it opens August 13th. But what an irresistible concept seeing Stallone directing and starring with Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, and even Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger (for nanoseconds). It’s the kind of old school camp that the action box office needs. So what will it make? My box office gurus are predicting at the very least $30+M and maybe as much as $40M because it’s R-rated, only 2D, but helped by a short running time of only 1 hour, 43 minutes. Comic-Con: ‘The Expendables’ Panel
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I saw the trailer and this looks like a great summer movie with an unbelievable cast.
Awesome! And I saw a commercial for Tide, and they said their detergent would get my clothes whiter than a Lindsay Lohan coffee table.
Here it’s awaited as a celebration of the “old school” action movie. The casting and the trailer are pure poetry.
Tracking Very Big HOW MUCH?
I’m kinda surprised that it’s tracking well. When I first heard of the movie I was really excited. Then the trailer came out and made it look like a generic action movie with less than thrilling bad guys. I’ll wait for a couple of reviews. If it scores above 40% on rotten tomatoes I’ll give it a go.
KICK ASS TRACKED WELL TOO AND WELL THAT WAS A DUD.
This movie is going to be big. Everyone is talking about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if made over 45 million for its opening weekend.
I get the feeling a lot better than the cheesecake factory (FOX) production of The A-Team.
And Stallone put this together for 30 million while A-Team was 110.
Somebody just got schooled!
What is your source for the 30 million dollars budget? From what I have read the budget is about 70 million.
sly rules – nothing more, nothing less
Can’t wait to see it!!!
This is no surprise.
Been ctraving for an Old School Action flick for years (unlike the Studio Abortion A-Team). Looking forward to this.
Too bad the incredibly hilarious MacGruber didn’t come out later in the summer, as this is the exact movie it makes fun of/celebrates.
Maybe they can put them together in the DVD package as this looks super fun too.
This movie is going to be the arguably the most exciting movie of the year, the rest are going to have to fight for Second, its pure adrenaline and action and as far as if you dont like the trailers remeber its rated r, they cant show all the good stuff!
I don’t know anyone who isn’t pumped for this flick. The midnight show is gonna be insane.
Im not ‘pumped’ for it. I think it looks like a very poor film. Whilst watching the trailer I thought it was a joke, something like Tropic Thunder. I was very shocked when I realised it wasn’t….
well you just hate fun.
AK – you must be a woman. This movie is going to rock. Go and watch your sex and the city 2.
Well, Rocky Balboa and Rambo 4 were two solid movies. Stallone has made me a fan again and I will still see The Expendables even if the trailer was just OK with me. He’s earned cred with those last 2 movies and I hope this makes it 3 in a row.
Is he still attached to the Death Wish remake? That would be great to see.
i heard the music is awesome in this film.
*I* hear the makeup and costumes are fabu!
And of course whoever threaded Sly’s eyebrows should be given hugs-hugs for the next decade. This is one for Bravo in the after-markets, rrrrrowww.
Absolutely it will hit the BO big! I saw them at the Con and it was such a relief to finally see true action footage and a cast that has more badass in their pinky then all of the crap 3D cgi action films that have cluttered theaters in the last few years. I may have to see it more than once that weekend! And to me, there’s no doubt it will bring more than 30mm on its opening.
Absolutely it will hit the BO big! I saw them at the Con and it was such a relief to finally see true action footage and a cast that has more badass in their pinky then all of the crap 3D cgi action films that have cluttered theaters in the last few years. I may have to see it more than once that weekend! And to me, there’s no doubt it will bring more than 30mm on its opening.
Aptly titled. Everyone in this film is expendable.
It definitely should be a hit, but I can’t help but wonder what it could have done if Stallone got the exact cast he wanted, which would have included bigger roles for Willis and Arnold plus the additions of JCVD and Seagal. On their own, those last two are long past the point of selling tickets, but in the context of this movie? I really think things would have exploded. At least Li and Statham were smart/cool enough to sign on. And Mickey Rourke, of course.
Typical action flick that’s been done 100 times B4, nothing see here, just move along people.
That’s how I felt about Die Hard 4.
I am hoping for the best, but lately Lionsgate has been the king of stalling at $45-$50 million.
I think “The Expendables” is going to do the box office Hollywood hoped the A-Team would. Less CGI, more “real”. As a side note, how many reviews and articles about this movie do you think will include the sentence, “The boys are back in town?”
None.
I’d hardly consider $30-40M for a film with this cast “very big.”
I feel like this site often doesn’t take context into account when evaluating how a movie does at the box office. You can’t just look at the number and be done with it.
def tracking well. And speaking of tracking, just saw it and the sleeper may be the following week with Lottery Ticket–the early tracking is very very strong.
I love you Nikki, and agreed that Lionsgate needs a hit, but including Stallone in the statement “could sure use a hit”..? His last two, “Rocky Balboa” and “(John) Rambo” were relatively successful in relation to their costs, and sold well on home video, as far as I know. In fact, together they constituted a real box office comeback for Stallone.
..However, I thought “The Expendables” budget was more in the $60-80mil. range — if it indeed cost only around $30 mil., it’s a *guaranteed* hit.
Two time Oscar nominated quadruple threat Sly Stallone (director, actor, writer, producer). Expendables will be a monster hit. Stallone will make the studios millions (like he’s done many times in the past with his other scripts; Rocky, Rambo, Cliffhanger, etc…). Should we really be surprised? When will Hollywood stop making fun of his persona and acknowledge Stallone for being the incredibly talented artist and business man that he is?
Why do you frame the story with Stallone “sure needs a big hit”? His last two films made solid money…..