Action star Jason Statham has been involved with some massive film series in his career, but thanks to the success of Meg 2: The Trench, we now know what his biggest franchise really is. Ever since Statham starred in The Transporter back in 2002, he has been a part of some of the more iconic action franchises of the 20th century. However, Statham’s latest action franchise entry, Meg 2: The Trench, solidifies his place as one of the best box office draws that exists in movies today.
The second installment of the Meg film franchise continued its impressive theatrical run — including rare international box office success — with more than $386 million grossed so far, and it is likely to reach $400 million before heading to streaming. This is a strong figure after The Meg grossed a surprising $530 million worldwide, as fans loved the concept of Jason Statham as a deep sea diver and rescuer who battles ancient creatures from the bottom of the ocean. Earning almost $1 billion together, the Meg films can now be called Statham’s most impressive franchise.
Meg 2’s Box Office Success Is More Impressive Than Fast X’s (Despite Being Less)
The $400 million that Meg 2: The Trench is projected to make as it finishes its theatrical run is far less than Jason Statham’s other franchise hit from 2023. Fast X, the 10th movie in the Fast & Furious series, made $715 million since it was released on May 19, but a strong argument can be made that Meg 2‘s box office haul is more impressive than that of Fast X. The Vin Diesel-led car-racing action franchise has a 20-year history and its latest included several big-name co-stars including Statham, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, and Charlize Theron.
Meg 2, on the other hand, is just the second film in its franchise, it has a niche storyline, and it does not feature any other A-list performers. The box office performance of Meg 2 may be several hundred million dollars less than Fast X‘s, but the movie maintained 75 percent of the box office of the original film. Moviegoers riding the wave of an incredible summer of films that included Oppenheimer and Barbie came out to support a perfect summer popcorn movie. Meg 2 has action and humor, it is under two hours, and it doesn’t require fans to invest in nine previous movies to understand it.
The Meg Franchise Has Surpassed The Expendables’ Box Office Already
With just two movies, the Meg franchise has already earned more at the box office than the three Expendables movies, in which Statham also stars. The first three Expendables movies collectively have grossed just over $800 million globally, with a significant box office drop-off between The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3. It remains to be seen what Expend4bles will bring in when it is released in September 2023, but it is unlikely to come anywhere close to the $400 million earned by Meg 2: The Trench.
The Expendables franchise has its appeal in assembling action stars of years past to get audiences in the seats. While the first Expendables movie did exceptionally well — $275 million grossed on an $80 million budget — the novelty of those movies has now worn off as the fourth movie is prepared to be released. Movie franchises like The Meg can keep drawing audiences despite potential drawbacks like Meg 2‘s poor Rotten Tomatoes score by promising more or bigger creatures or more exciting action set-pieces.
Jason Statham Is Actually The Star Of The Meg Movies
One important thing to note about the Meg franchise and its staying power is that Jason Statham is the main star of these movies. Unlike his other current franchises like Fast & Furious or The Expendables, which have even bigger names headlining, Statham has been able to take the two Meg movies to tremendous success with his name at the top of the cast and relative unknowns filling out the rest of the performers.
These starring roles allow Jason Statham, who is both charismatic and action-focused, to shine more. Meg 2: The Trench and the franchise don’t force Statham to play a supporting role behind Vin Diesel or Sylvester Stallone, and it has been immensely popular because of it. After the success of Meg 2: The Trench in the summer of 2023, it is almost assured that there will be a third Meg movie, with audiences excited to see Statham battle the next version of ancient Megalodons.
