Expend4bles Budget

What Is the Budget of Expend4bles (2023)?

The production budget of Expend4bles was approximately $100,000,000, financed by Lionsgate and Millennium Media. The figure made it the most expensive entry in the Expendables franchise and reflected an aging-star ensemble, extensive helicopter and boat action, a Thailand-based production with associated travel and per-diem costs, and significantly more visual effects than previous franchise entries.

Director Scott Waugh, taking over the franchise from Sylvester Stallone and Patrick Hughes, shot Expend4bles primarily in Thessaloniki, Greece, and at Bulgarian production facilities through fall 2021. The picture sat on Lionsgate's shelf for nearly two years before its September 2023 release, an extended post-production window that compounded the financing costs.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

• Cast Compensation: Above-the-line salaries for Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Randy Couture, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
• Greek and Bulgarian Production: Soundstage rental and location shooting in Thessaloniki and Bulgarian production facilities, including water tanks for the cargo ship sequences.
• Action Choreography and Stunts: Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa fight choreography, helicopter sequences, motorcycle chases, and large-scale ship boarding action requiring extensive stunt teams.
• Visual Effects: Approximately 1,000 visual effects shots covering helicopter explosions, the cargo ship climax, and digital augmentations of physical stunts, a meaningful increase over prior franchise entries.
• Production Design: Practical recreations of Libyan terrorist compounds, Bangkok and South China Sea harbor exteriors, and the climactic cargo ship interiors supervised by Paul Cross.
• Marketing and Distribution: A September 2023 wide release marketing campaign with a 4K theatrical rollout including major IMAX presence and a comparatively muted creative push.

How Does Expend4bles's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

• The Expendables 3 (2014): Budget $90,000,000 | Worldwide $214,700,000. The previous franchise entry, made for 10 percent less and earning four times the worldwide gross.
• The Expendables 2 (2012): Budget $100,000,000 | Worldwide $314,200,000. The peak commercial entry of the franchise on the same budget, grossing more than six times Expend4bles globally.
• Plane (2023): Budget $25,000,000 | Worldwide $74,400,000. A January 2023 Gerard Butler action thriller on a quarter of the budget that posted stronger returns.
• The Beekeeper (2024): Budget $40,000,000 | Worldwide $162,200,000. Jason Statham's following film, on less than half the budget, that returned three times more globally and underscored Expend4bles as the outlier.

Expend4bles Box Office Performance

Expend4bles opened to $8,302,181 across 3,518 North American theaters on September 22, 2023, finishing first by default in a slow weekend but with one of the lowest number-one openings in modern box office history. The picture suffered a brutal 59 percent second-weekend drop and fell out of the top ten by its third weekend.

• Production Budget: $100,000,000.
• Estimated Prints & Advertising (P&A): approximately $60,000,000.
• Total Estimated Investment: approximately $160,000,000.
• Worldwide Gross: approximately $50,206,432.
• Net Return: approximately negative $125,000,000 after studio split.
• ROI: approximately negative 78 percent on total investment.

For every $1 invested, Lionsgate recouped roughly $0.22 after the theatrical exhibitor split.

International accounted for 67 percent of worldwide gross, with particularly soft returns in North America. The picture is widely cited as one of the largest single-film losses in Lionsgate's history and prompted Millennium Media to pivot from large-budget action franchise plays toward more contained mid-budget action features. The collapse of the franchise prompted Sylvester Stallone, who had publicly distanced himself from the production before release, to confirm Expend4bles would be his final Expendables appearance.

Expend4bles Production History

Lionsgate and Millennium Media greenlit Expend4bles in late 2020 with Patrick Hughes initially attached to direct, before Scott Waugh, best known for Need for Speed, took over in early 2021. The script by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams brought back franchise veterans Stallone, Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture alongside new additions Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Andy Garcia, and 50 Cent.

Principal photography began in September 2021 in Thessaloniki, Greece, and ran through December 2021 across Greek locations and Bulgarian production facilities. The production faced multiple challenges including COVID-era safety protocols, Stallone's injury during a fight sequence, and reported on-set tension between Stallone and Statham over the direction the franchise was taking.

Lionsgate held the picture for nearly two years through post-production, marketing a September 2022 release date that was ultimately pushed a full year to September 2023. Stallone publicly distanced himself from the picture in mid-2023 interviews, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he had been pushed out of creative control over the franchise he had originated. The picture's commercial collapse on release ended the franchise.

Awards and Recognition

Expend4bles received six Razzie Award nominations at the 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Director (Scott Waugh), Worst Actor (Sylvester Stallone), Worst Supporting Actress (Megan Fox), Worst Screen Couple (Statham and Fox), and Worst Screenplay. The picture won the Razzie for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel. It received no positive recognition from critics' circles, guilds, or major industry organizations.

Critical Reception

Expend4bles holds a 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of any film in the franchise and one of the lowest scores ever recorded for a major studio action release. The Metacritic score is 23. CinemaScore audiences awarded the film a B, lower than any previous Expendables entry. Owen Gleiberman at Variety called it "a movie that no one involved seems to want to be making." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that "the action is sloppy and the wit has evaporated." Peter Travers gave the picture half a star and called it "the saddest end to a franchise in recent memory." Critics broadly agreed that the picture suffered from poor CGI, a thin script, and visible disengagement from its star.