The Expendablesreveals a harsh reality about legendary actors Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.The two historic leading men are known for starring in some of the greatest movies of all timeand are key figures in the modern makeup of the action genre at large. Stallone of course rose to superstardom by defeating all the odds with the ultimate underdog storyRocky, which has since become one of themost profitable sports movie franchises to ever exist. Schwarzenegger is also an icon in his own right, playing many legendary characters of cinematic history in films likeThe Terminator,Predator,Total Recall, andConan the Barbarian.
Despite these two larger-than-life movie stars rising to prominence in Hollywood at around the same time,there has been very little overlap in their cinematic careers. Their very first feature film collaboration didn’t happen until 2010’sThe Expendablesand continued in two of its three subsequent sequels,The Expendables 2andThe Expendables 3, consideringSchwarzenegger did not return forThe Expendables 4.While it may seem likeThe Expendablesfranchise has abandoned its future, the films still hold a special place in the action genre for bringing together Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and other legendary action stars.
Stallone & Schwarzenegger Have Only Been In 4 Movies Together (3 Of Which Are The Expendables)
The Expendablesmovies of the 2010s were able to include more iconic figures of the genre, although an earlier Stallone-Schwarzenegger collaboration could have set a stronger foundation for the franchise.
Somehow, Stallone and Schwarzenegger have only been in four total movies together, three of them being the first threeExpendablesmovies. While it makes sense to keep the two leading men apart throughout their careers in order to maintain their individual status as leading star actors,it still would have been amazing to see Stallone and Schwarzenegger share the screen in their heyday, although there are certainly no complaints about their combined efforts with the originalExpendablesmovie.The Expendablesis an awesome and historic franchise but a Stallone-Schwarzenegger felt overdue.
With both Stallone and Schwarzenegger being highly competitive and working in the same genre at the same time,there was likely a great rivalry between the two movie stars that kept them from sharing a screenfor most of their careers. If a film likeThe Expendableshad been released back in the 1980s, it would have been part of both actors still-evolving legacies and would have been an enormous deal in Hollywood back then.The Expendablesmovies of the 2010s were able to include more iconic figures of the genre, although an earlier Stallone-Schwarzenegger collaboration could have set a stronger foundation for the franchise.
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Stallone & Schwarzenegger Have Never Been In A Truly Great Movie Together
The Expendables 2 is their highest-rated feature film collaboration
Escape Planwas the only film that saw Stallone and Schwarzenegger as the sole leads and earned a worldwide total of $137 million despite mixed reviews.
The Expendableswas the first film that brought Stallone and Schwarzenegger together but despite doing well at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics and was not as much of a fan-favorite as it was expected to be.The Expendables 2certainly enhanced the foundation set byThe Expendablesand is the best entry of the movie series according to critics and fans alike. However,The Expendables 3and4received the poorest reviews of the franchise, earning Rotten Tomatoes critic scores of 32% and 13%, respectively. WhileThe Expendables 2is the best of the franchise, it’s hard to call it a truly great film with an RT critic score of 67%.
The only other film that Stallone and Schwarzenegger starred in together was 2013’sEscape Plan, which divided both critics and audiences with an RT score of 50%. Both actors were likelylooking to capitalize on the box office success of the first twoExpendablesmovies, which collectively generated a worldwide total of $188 million against a combined budget of $180 million. The poor box office performance ofThe Expendables 3made the creation ofExpend4bleslucky to begin with.Escape Planwas the only film that saw Stallone and Schwarzenegger as the sole leads and earned a worldwide total of $137 million despite mixed reviews.
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Escape Plan offered a small glimpse of what could have been
The Expendablescould have been a higher-quality franchise overall but the fact that it exists in the first place with so many action stars makes it a part of film history by default.Escape Plandidn’t necessarily bring out the best in Stallone or Schwarzenegger but its box office success proved the obvious that they would make a dynamic duo in standalone features, which there should have been more of throughout their careers. Fortunately, there’s still time for a fifth Stallone and Schwarzenegger collaboration outsideThe Expendablesfranchise if both actors get on board.
The Expendables
The Expendablesis an American action film franchise created by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone. It revolves around a team of elite mercenaries and serves as an homage to 1980s and 1990s blockbuster action films, featuring iconic action stars. The franchise includes four films, released between 2010 and 2023, along with comic books, video games, and potential spin-offs, including a canceled all-female film. Known for its ensemble cast and explosive action,The Expendablescelebrates both classic and modern action heroes.
