Sylvester Stallone’s $255 million sequel could make 2025 its biggest year in a decade after franchise struggles

The late one Cliffhanger 2 Could give Sylvester Stallone a much needed boost after a stretch of bad luck with franchises. During Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age, movie stars avoided sequels, with most finding them inferior attempts to cash in on a hit. In the 1970s, Stallone was one of the first actors to recognize the value of building a franchise for himselfSo when his post-Rocky Movies flopped, he soon returned with Rocky 2. That’s not to say he didn’t find value in dipping back into those Rocky Movie franchise and formation of new chapters in the boxer’s life, however.

It was when Stallone hit it big with these Rambo Movies that he has become the king of sequels, and can typically rely on a new sequel in each series to boost his box-office numbers. Other Sylvester Stallone franchises include The Expendables And Escape planAnd Over 30 years after the original, Sly will return as Gabe Walker in a sequel to Cliffhanger. Plot details for the follow-up are largely under wraps, although it is said that Gabe’s daughter will play a large role in the story.

Cliffhanger 2 could be released in 2025 after the latest filming update

The Stallone sequel is set to begin filming very soon

According to a report from ScreenDaily, Cliffhanger 2 Will begin filming in fall 2024 In locations around Austria and Bavaria. The sequel’s previously announced director Ric Roman Waugh (Angel has fallen) has fallen and will be replaced by Fly Jean-Francois Richet. Over the years, Stallone has expressed interest in returning to several other one-off hits like Tango & Money Or CobraHowever Cliffhanger is one of the safer bets. With the sequel heading before cameras in the fall, A late 2025 release window for the upcoming Cliffhanger 2 Feels like a realistic goal.

The Renny Harlin-directed original restored Stallone to the top of the box office after a run of bombs like Stop! Or my mom will shoot. Die Hard on a Mountain has also aged very well, thanks to a mix of practical location filming and stuntwork, in addition to John Lithgow’s delightfully smarmy turn as the villain. Stallone will be around 78 at the time Cliffhanger 2 Also starts filmingSo it will be interesting to see how active Gabe will be in the next outing.

Cliffhanger 2 & Levon’s Trade could give Sylvester Stallone a big year

2025 could reverse a streak of bad luck for Stallone

It is yet to be confirmed that Cliffhanger 2 Will arrive in 2025, but one Stallone project that will definitely be Levon’s trade. Stollone S Expendables Co-star Jason Statham takes the lead in this thriller, playing a retired black ops agent who returns to his old ways when his boss’ daughter goes missing. Stallone will not appear in Levon’s trade But wrote the adaptation based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Dixon.

Statham will be together with his Beekeeper Helmer David Ayer on the film, with their previous collaboration having scored a healthy $152 million in early 2024 (via The numbers). Levon’s trade is a good chance to match or exceed that number, and may even lead to a new series itself. with Levon’s trade And Cliffhanger 2 Looking likely for 2025 releases, Stallone could be on course for a healthy year at the box office.

Sylvester Stallone is having a big year in theaters

Stallone has lost his three biggest franchises in recent years

For Stallone, Rocky, Rambo And The Expendables There used to be reliable sagas to revisit, but that has changed in recent times. The star is gone from the Creed Kino and the Rocky character after a dispute with producers. He retired the titular character in 2019 Rambo: Last BloodWhich proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment. The Expendables 4 was also a huge box-office bombGrossing around half its production budget and receiving terrible reviews.

While he had success with these Guardians of the Galaxy Sequels, Stallone’s role in both are praised cameos. Sly also has smaller projects in the works as well Armored Or Alarm with Willa Fitzgerald (Richer), though both will likely go to streaming. As a leading man, Stallone needs an unambiguous hitAnd Cliffhanger 2 Can it provide. If it works, maybe that long-muted Demolition man Sequel can finally happen too.

There are even whispers of a potential Rambo 6Although the star sounds done with the character. more than anything, It would be nice to see Stollone score a hit after a few years of bad luckAnd especially after his role was downgraded into The Expendables 4 For no particular reason. He hasn’t had a really solid critical and commercial success since 2015 Creed Or. Maybe Cliffhanger 2 Could even lead to a third entry, although hopefully it won’t take another 30 years to come together.

Source: ScreenDaily, The numbers