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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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Seen it, loved it! And incidentally The Boys Are Back In Town plays over the closing credits.
This is going to be amazing. I am very happy for Sly.
Let me be the first to predict it: This will knock The Passion of the Christ off the top spot of highest grossing R rated flicks, and will usher in a new era of R rated action.
Don’t forget he wanted Sandy too before she broke through critically with The Blind Side and The Proposal. She would have been a female Expendable. He loves her. But she was busy.
I am totally psyched for this!!!! Can’t wait!
Clearly the marketing team has a strong presence on the comment board. Are there no young BELIEVABLE actors to play these parts? Aren’t these films marketed to the 17 to 30yr old demographic anyway? Everyone in this film is +50 except for Terry Crews who’s +40 and will probably die early in the film. I’ll pass on this. I saw the trailer and these guys looked old and comical. I find it hard to believe so many people are excited to see these middle aged men and grandpas beat the odds for a combined thousandth time while saving the world. So original.
I agree that the marketing team is probably behind a lot of these posts, BUT:
What have you got against the old guys?
The point is that people will love seeing these guys from back in the day, do what they did best!
*And* they do it a whole lot better than the guys doing it now? When you think about it, it’s these fake action heroes like Keanu Reeves, Christian Bale, etc. who are comical.
(Michael Keaton started the decline in action hero-dom, I presume) Stallone and the crew may be grandpas, but they could sure kick the butts of “today’s” action heroes on-screen and in real-life. (I appreciate that Sly has brought Jason Statham, a young’un comparatively, on board to acknowledge that he, at least, has real action chops. Terry Crewes as well, since he seems like a powerhouse.) You say they’re comical and old, but I find them FAR more believable than any of the younger crowd starring in action movies today…
Terry Crews does not die early in this movie. He’s a major part of the cast.
But you find Keanu Reeves, Christian Bale and Robert Downey Jr. to be believable action heroes? Spare me.
Right. Old guys save the real world daily. You’d opt out for self termination than face Randy Couture in a room with 4 walls and no where to run. what to these old guys bring to the table? Realism that Dances With Smurfs was badly missing.
A shit sandwich by any other name…is still just another underperformer from the house that saw built.
Astrodust,
Why do you care how the movie is rated on Rotten Tomoatoes? Go back up your own mind.
This movie doesn’t have to have a great script, great storyline, or even great acting. All is has to be is fun. And I have little doubt it will be a lot of fun.
Most reviews of this movie should note how unbelievable it all is that these old men can do these things. But of course the reveiws won’t mention Stallone messed up plastic surgery face or the fact that this old fart would break a hip if he really did those things. Because critics only do such things in when females are the stars.
This is B-MOVIE cheese. Want some? Avi is Stallone’s last chance in this town. Good luck, pal.
Stallone has gained intense street cred amongst the fan boys, for two main reasons: He did everything and anything he could to get ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO made so that he could end those films on high notes (which he successfully did — especially Rocky Balboa, which was, as he puts it, a “love letter to the fans”) and he also does a Q & A session on AINT IT COOL NEWS whenever a new film of his comes out (has done this since Rocky Balboa), and his answers are raw, honest, and surprising, making himself incredibly accessible and respected by those who may have written him off. Sly knows what he wants out of life, has a firm understand of the way this industry can treat someone they once revered, and is willing to do what he can to make the movies he feels will please his fans.
well said. He answered one of my questions this round and I can’t stop talking about it….
This is one movie I’ve barely paid any attention to – it just looks like the “same old, same old”. And none of the actors really catch your attention. I like Terry Crews, so I might rent it on dvd, but I’d never pay to see this in the theater.
This is mindless entertainment perfection. Action movie nostalgia mixed with a ginormous cast, its going to do great. However, its only going to do great once, this doesn’t really have legs as a sequel.
I don’t believe a single one of the first 20 comments in this thread. It might be time to get a moderator to keep all the obvious flack stuff out.
LOL @ the haters. The cast of the Expendables are what’s called actual “men.” Men who have lived lives. Men who have big muscles. You haven’t really seen them on screen or on TV the last 20 years, so I don’t blame you for not recognizing men–as opposed to skinny, gay-friendly Calvin Klein model pretty boys or sparkly,daywalking vampires or fat, bumbling TV dads–when you see them.
Exactly right.
However, I thought “The Expendables” budget was more in the $60-80mil. range
This was my understanding as well. Rambo 4 carried a budget of $50 million and I’d be shocked if Expendables cost less than that film.
Early on, Sly also admitted he was hoping The Expendables would appeal to a broader audience and boast a higher budget. However, he appears to have back off of that approach and returned to trying to cater directly to fanboys again.
It will be interesting to see how well this performs- especially after opening weekend. I get the impression Sly’s hoping it will allow him to retire Rambo and provide a new franchise for churning out endless sequels.
Kind’ve ironic, considering he’s spent the last five years explaining his desire to make multiple Rambo sequels. In 2005, he told Larry King he wanted to make a Rambo film like Straw Dogs. Not long after that, it was a story sending Rambo off to Mexico. Then it was Burma. Then it was Rambo fighting a science experiment near Canada. Then it was back to Mexico. Now Sly’s suddenly decided the character is behind him and his future lies in fronting various teams comprised of DTV actors.
Saw this film in a screening and David Zayas steals every scene he’s in as General Garza. Jason Statham is very good as well. This film is going to be a huge international hit.
Somebody put out an APB for Nikki.
She’s obviously been abducted by aliens.
Since when has she been excited by a Stallone film,
and in what universe is a film running 1:43 a ”
short running time”?
you mentioned no 3D. that is a plus for me. enuf with the 3D already. hollywood has already killed it.
No surprises here, i feel like i’am on a cheap flight to Paris.
Strapped in, and no place else to go.
Airlines still supply vomit bags don’t they?
This movie looks great. There is a place for more intellectual, cerebral films and there is a place for fun, adrenaline-fuelled films like this one. Generally Hollywood is completely inept at making both but this looks good.
One of the main reasons is that they didn’t try to shove Michael Cera, Zach Effron, Seth Rogen or some other annoying young nancy boy actor into an action lead.
It’s the kind of a movie, where you leave the wife at home, get the buddies together, have a last smoke in the car and think about them glorious 80′s, where a flick cost 5 bucks and your had a real good time at the theaters. Its gonna be good fun. Nothing more, nothing less….
… and its gonna do some 80 – 100 Million in the states, double internationally.
This reminds me of the day I first saw the cast of Unforgiven. Eastwood, Freeman, Hackman, Harris.
I knew it was about men and I needed to see it.
This is a kick ass movie, one of the best action movie I’ve seen in a while- funny too-love all the action and explosive. A+++++