Jason Statham’s top-grossing action movies show how much the $840 million franchise is wasting him

The action franchise that should have been Jason Statham Best just proved how much the movies wasted his talents. Jason Statham’s action movies have been entertaining fans for over 20 years, and he had an unusual path to stardom. After years of odd jobs like working in market stalls or being a music video extra, Statham made his debut in Guy Ritchie. Lock, stock and two smoking barrels. Statham’s action debut in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars Would then later put him on a different path altogether.

He may be typecast in the genre, but Statham doesn’t seem to care one bit. He is one of the biggest action stars in the world, with his name alone is all but guaranteed to draw an audience. There are also many Jason Statham action franchises in existence where he is either part of an ensemble – like the Fast & Furious Sage – or he is the only guide. Statham is as popular as ever, with The Beekeeper’s $152 million haul (via The numbers) giving him his most successful film Outside of his many franchises.

Jason Statham’s franchises have all been box office hits (minus Expendables)

The failure of Expendables 4 abruptly ended the ensemble series

In the same way Statham’s regular co-star (and pal) Sylvester Stallone built his career around series like Rocky Or RamboStatham has a reliable collection of franchises to himself. While he appears finished with The transporter Or Crank Films, the star still has properties like The Meg to return to. It’s also a good chance The Beekeeper 2 will happenAnd Statham will be reunited with Beekeeper Helmer David Ayer for the novel adaptation Levon’s tradeWhich might as well make a new series.

The above franchises will see Statham gain employment for the foreseeable future, but one series that probably won’t be returning is The Expendables. Stallone created the ensemble saga as a way for legendary action stars to work together, with the poster for each outing featuring names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford and many more. The Expendables Should be – given the talent involved – Statham’s best franchise, but more often than not it disappointed.

The first and second films drew mixed reviews but were solidly profitable, although the third entry underperformed in 2014. The Expendables 4 was a box-office bomb in 2023 though, grossing $51 million on a reported $100 million budget While earning terrible reviews. The fourth installment was a vital, lazy cash grab with some horribly undercooked CGI, and its utter failure is the first time a Statham franchise has crashed so thoroughly.

Expendables 4’s flop is even more disappointing given Statham’s box office success

Expendables 4 should have revived the series, not killed it

2023 was a productive year for Statham, where he starred in no less than four movies. Quick X And Meg 2: The Trench Both may have received hollow notices, but they are still comfortable financial successes. by Guy Ritchie Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre Was a little disappointed, and almost recovered his $ 50 million budget. yet, Expendables 4 was far and away Statham’s biggest flop in some timeAlthough he quickly bounced back in January 2024 thanks to The book.

It’s truly impressive that, over 25 years into his career, Statham is still an in-demand leading man. He is someone who knows what his core audience wants and finds projects that suit his screen persona. sad, The Expendables 4 Felt ill-conceived from its inception, sidelining series creator Stallone in a cameo and settling for a rather generic story involving a stolen nuclear weapon. It almost feels like the people producing the sequel have little faith in it, and that lack of passion is translated onto the screen. Of course, Statham himself remained the highlight.

The Expendables franchise should have used Jason Statham better

Maybe Expendables: A Christmas Story really was the better idea

After the disappointment of The Expendables 3The series was found in a register. There were plans for an all-female spinoff dubbed The ExpendablesAnd a Statham solo sacrifice called Expendables: A Christmas Story. No film was made, although it looks like the fourth outing used pieces from the unmade projects. Statham is the best part of The Expendables 4But there are only so many quips and punches he can deliver to distract from a lousy screenplay and forgettable setpieces.

Statham and Stallone are basically the leads of the series, with the films leaning on their easy chemistry. But due to featuring so many iconic stars, the movies often felt episodic and unbalanced, such as the second entry stopping dead in its tracks to let Chuck Norris tell a bad Chuck Norris joke. The fourth film positioned Statham as the lead of the next iteration of the series, but given its failure, another sequel is doubtful. Maybe Expendables: A Christmas Story was the better option after all, splitting Statham away from the rest of the cast for a solo outing.

Source: The numbers