The third film in the franchise had the lowest opening weekend of the series to date, $15 million dollars, and the studio and Hollywood insiders have broken out the piracy excuse - but is that really the case? This example is a little tricky because The Expendables 3 leaked online weeks in advance of its release, and in high quality. Which meant that anyone who wanted to watch the film could, in the comfort of their own homes without having to worry about inflated ticket prices and theatres crowded with ignorant cell phone users and chit-chatters. As a result, the studio blaming it on piracy isn't all that far-fetched, however, there are a couple of points to consider: One, The Expendables 2 simply wasn't as good as the first one, and the franchise opted not to release an instalment last year, meaning the last memory we have of the franchise was a luke-warm outing (aside from Jean-Claude Van Damme who was fantastic). Second, the movie was released too close to Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To make a simple comparison, in 2012 The Expendables 2 was released against the animated kids flick ParaNorman, the music drama Sparkle, and The Odd Life of Timothy Green - not films that would remotely eat into its revenue. And The Expendables 2 had already dropped from the first movie, profit-wise - meaning it wasn't a franchise on the rise. Third, the inclusion of "new" expendables in the movie didn't do much for anyone, at least on paper (in the film, they're just sort of there as a plot device, and none but Ronda Rousey even stand out). So here's where we are at: The Expendables 3 is actually arguably the best in the series. Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, Antonion Bandaras, and Mel Gibson are all fantastic additions to the cast, and the film is a much more watchable movie than the second one. It holds up to the first, and is one of the best action movies in the last couple of years - and no one is seeing it. Because of piracy? That's the company line, but poor scheduling is just as much to blame.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
