Expendables 1 Almost Made A Mistake That Would Have Killed Sylvester Stallone’s $840 Million Franchise

In 2010, the release of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables marked the beginning of a truly iconic action franchise, however, this success almost never came to be because of one decision that could have ruined the franchise for good. As of now, The Expendables has four movies under its belt, with The Expend4bles coming out as recently as 2023. The series is best known for its incredible cast of action icons, from modern favorites like Jason Statham to old-timers like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though The Expendables is just one staple in the action genre, its success was not always a guarantee.

While The Expendables movies follow the same formula as any other popular action film, they truly stand out because of their iconic casts. Audience members who have been long-time fans of the action genre are delighted with every installment because of the presence of legends like Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Bruce Willis. Overall, The Expendables casting is the boost the movies have needed to keep audiences captivated. However, there are other smaller details that are important as well. In fact, without them, the movies would be completely different – and worse.

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The Expendables Tested A PG-13 Cut

Although the first The Expendables movie from 2010 is firmly in the Rated-R category, this was not always the case. According to an article written back in 2009 by FirstShowing.net, entertainment journalists went onto the set of The Expendables and learned that the film was being tested as both a Rated-R film and a PG-13 one. A potential reason for this was that 2008’s Rambo was so violent that the film lost half its audience. Therefore, Stallone’s next movies were slated to be less violent in order to maintain audience numbers.

Ultimately, The Expendables and two of its sequels ended up with R-ratings, and this is likely a good thing. First and foremost, all The Expendables movies are heavy on violence and gore, so having a rating that reflects that is important. Furthermore, The Expendables’ R-rating gives the film a different reputation. Rather than being an action movie for anybody, it is a more adult film, suitable for fans of action and violence rather than just regular audience members. A PG-13 rating may have messed with this reputation and also toned down the intensity of the film, potentially making it worse.

Expendables 3 Proved The Franchise Isn’t Suited For PG-13

As it turns out, this Rated-R versus PG-13 debate did not end with the first The Expendables either. Though The Expendables, The Expendables 2, and The Expend4bles were all Rated-R, the third film, The Expendables 3 was PG-13. Unfortunately, this film did not do as well as its predecessors, and its rating could have had something to do with that. The Expendables 3 earned its PG-13 rating by having violence and language that were just a bit less intense than what appears in an R-rated movie. This lack of intensity likely affected how fun and thrilling the movie was.

In the end, The Expendables 3’s PG-13 rating and poor reviews probably had something to do with why The Expend4bles returned to an R-rating. Though there were likely many aspects to the third film’s failure, Stallone likely felt that The Expendables 3’s downgrade in rating hurt the film more than it helped it. It did not bring in more audiences or make critics enjoy the film more. Therefore, The Expendables 3 has proven that a PG-13 rating never would have and never will help the franchise, but could only hurt it.

Expendables Would Never Have Become A Franchise If The 2010 Movie Was PG-13

Looking back, it is a very good thing that The Expendables was released as an R-rated movie in 2010. Based on the failure of The Expendables 3, this rating could have been a make-or-break moment for the franchise. Luckily, by sticking with an R-rating, The Expendables was able to make a name for itself as a particularly violent and mature movie. This helped it garner the popularity it received back in 2010. On the other hand, a PG-13 rating might not have done the same. The Expendables might not have become a franchise at all without its specific rating.

In the end, The Expendables is lucky to be where it is today. While a movie’s rating typically is not a major point of contention in terms of success, and The Expend4bles had other problems aside from its rating, it is still an important metric to look at. This is especially true when it comes to The Expendables 3 and its success. The bottom line is, The Expendables should stick to an R-rating for the rest of its time as a franchise.