The Expendables 3

The Expendables 3
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPatrick Hughes
Screenplay by
Story bySylvester Stallone
Based onCharacters
by David Callaham
Produced by
  • Avi Lerner
  • Kevin King-Templeton
  • Danny Lerner
  • Les Weldon
  • John Thompson[1]
Starring
CinematographyPeter Menzies, Jr.
Edited by
  • Sean Albertson
  • Paul Harb
Music byBrian Tyler
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • August 4, 2014 (2014-08-04) (London)
  • August 15, 2014 (2014-08-15) (United States)
Running time
126 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90–100 million[4][5]
Box office$214.7 million[6]

The Expendables 3 is a 2014 American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in The Expendables franchise and the sequel to The Expendables (2010) and The Expendables 2 (2012). The film features an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The story follows the mercenary group known as The Expendables as they come into conflict with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables' co-founder, who is determined to destroy the team. The film premiered in London on August 4, 2014[7] and was released theatrically on August 15, 2014, by Lionsgate. Unlike the first two films in the franchise, The Expendables 3 received a PG-13 rating instead of an R rating, which upset many fans of the franchise.[8] Partly due to negative critical reviews and being leaked three weeks before its scheduled release, the film grossed $214.7 million worldwide on an estimated $90–100 million budget, becoming the lowest-grossing film of the franchise until the sequel, Expend4bles, was released on September 22, 2023.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FilmingBegin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "THE EXPENDABLES 3 | British Board of Film Classification". Bbfc.co.uk. July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Expendables 3 (2014)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  4. ^ Bruce Willis 'wanted $1m a day for Expendables 3' Archived November 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "The Expendables Franchise Box Office History - The Numbers". www.the-numbers.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Ikon London Magazine World Premiere of Expendables 3". Ikon London Magazine. August 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference PG-13 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).