Success can be sweet, but failure may feel like a bitter pill to swallow. And Sylvester Stallone went through the latter with his beloved action thriller franchise, Expendables. As the last released installment failed to cross the coveted $100 million mark at the box office, things have taken a turn for the worse. Furthermore, the fourth Expendables film has again tasted the misfortune of receiving seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations as award season heats up.
The 44th Razzie Awards nominations for the film that (dis)honors the least successful picture of the year have been announced. The film that garnered the most nominations is the fourth installment of the highly action-packed The Expendables film series. The Lionsgate production, which was released on September 22, 2023, is one of five films vying for the title of ‘worst picture’ of the year.
Expend4bles: Sylvester Stallone Flick Leads Razzie Awards Nominations?
Just when it looked like things could not get any worse for Sylvester Stallone, the annual Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies, nominated Expend4bles in several categories (via THR).
In addition to being nominated for ‘Worst Picture’, ‘Worst Screenplay’, and ‘Worst Director’, the film has Megan Fox nominated for ‘Worst Supporting Actress’. Beyond that, Stallone is vying for ‘Worst Supporting Actor’, and ‘any two merciless mercenaries’ from the film could take home the trophy for ‘Worst Screen Couple’. The franchise seemed destined for more public scrutiny after receiving an astounding seven nominations at the Razzies.
The Razzie Awards recognize the worst performances of the year and are announced every year before the Oscar nomination announcement. With five nominations, The Exorcist: Believe came in second place among the movies receiving the most nominations, aside from Expend4bles.
Fast X, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania are a few more films that are heavily featured. The 44th annual Razzie Awards ceremony is set to happen on March 9th.
The Reviews for The Expendables 4 Were Absolutely Horrible
With a steady stream of negative reviews, the Expendables franchise has failed to please its loyal audience with its fourth installment. Merely 14% of the 124 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 3.5 out of 10. As per Numbers, it has generated $51 million in revenue worldwide on a $100 million budget.
Not only has the fourth Expendables movie gotten mixed reviews, but it has also been disproportionately poorly received. In addition to the fact that Expendables 3 was released almost ten years ago, the film’s negative reviews appear to have sapped much of the franchise’s enthusiasm. Apparently, ten years is plenty of time for audiences to lose interest and move on. The absence of many of the well-known actors from the first three Expendables movies contributes to the general decline in interest in the franchise.
The Expendables 4, which starred Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others, lacked the action-star quality that made the first two films so compelling. Sylvester Stallone also had a smaller role in the movie.
Fans were drawn to The Expendables franchise not only because of the dynamic action sequences but also because of the characters’ friendly banter and camaraderie. Sadly, Expend4bles was a complete failure on all fronts, and its awkward character dialogue and poorly done action sequences have damaged the film’s reputation.
You can rent Expend4bles on Apple TV if you are still interested in watching.
