💥Dolph Lundgren Wasn't Surprised Expend4bles Flopped, Reveals Reasons Why💥
0Dolph Lundgren Wasn't Surprised Expend4bles Flopped, Reveals Reasons Why
Count Expend4bles star Dolph Lundgren among the many people who expected the critically panned action film to flop at the box office, admitting he wasn't surprised by how the Lionsgate pic performed.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Lundgren saw the writing on the wall for the latest sequel in The Expendables film series from production, which was wrought with several issu
"I didn't read the reviews, because I kind of knew what they were gonna say. That project had issues from the beginning, and it usually starts with the script, it really didn't really have a good script," he said. "I'm not playing the lead, so it's hard for me to weigh in on some of those issues, but I know Stallone wasn't involved, like he usually is. He just played a character in it, and when he's in charge, the quality is going to be pretty good, it doesn't drop below a certain level. But he wasn't involved, so I think the problem was with the script, and then the director was replaced, like, a month before shooting."
Lundgren has starred in all four installments of The Expendables franchise, playing one of the titular group's most volatile members, Gunner Jensen. According to Lundgren, Expend4bles strayed away from the team focus that was evident in the first two films and served them well. Additionally, Lundgren feels the lack of a premiere due to the SAG-AFTRA strike hurt its marketing potential.
The Release Date Didn't Help With Expend4bles
"I also think that the originals, the first two especially, it was kind of about the team. It was about a team effort, and some of that got lost, so I was sad to see go that way. Because 50 was in it, he was great, and Megan Fox, they were all good assets," Lundgren said. "Also, the picture opened during the strike, which wasn't very clever, so they couldn't do any publicity. If you would have had a big star-studded premiere with Megan and 50 and Stallone and Statham, and the rest of them, myself, Andy Garcia, there would have been more eyeballs on it. And I'm sure it would have done better, but it's too bad. I was disappointed."
Lundgren was one of four originals to return for Expend4bles alongside Sylvester Stallone (Barney Ross), Jason Statham (Lee Christmas) and UFC legend Randy Couture (Toll Road). Despite the additions of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Fox to the film, Expend4bles bombed hard critically - 14% on Rotten Tomatoes - and made back just over half of its $100 million budget, easily a franchise-worst.
For many, much of Expend4bles' struggles were centered around the script, as Lundgren alluded to, with many criticising the decision to have Stallone's main character removed from proceedings early on. Reviews pointed out character, storyline and pacing issues, while others believe the film series should have ended before the latest sequel. Despite the negative feedback, a potential female-led spinoff film featuring Fox has been explored.
The most recent big-screen feature for Lundgren was his reduced role as Nereus in another critical bomb, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The Aquaman sequel sees him star alongside Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul Mateen II.
Expend4bles is now available on digital and home video.