Expend4bles could lock and load $15M-$17M during the ensemble action film’s opening weekend

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and their band of badasses infiltrate theaters this weekend with Expend4bles, and predictions for the action film’s weekend box office have arrived! According to analysts, the Millennium Media and Lionsgate thrill ride could earn between $15 million-$17 million during opening weekend.

The predicted total puts the latest film in the Expendables saga close to Expendables 3, which opened in 2014 with $15.8 million. Males over 25 generate the most tickets for action films starring ’80s icons and celebrated martial artists like Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa. It’s worth noting that Expend4bles heads to 700 PLF screens this weekend, including XD, RPX, Dolby, and D BOX. The film’s availability on high-profile screens and the hard R rating could boost its popularity throughout its debut.

Deadline’s report says Expend4bles cost roughly $100M to produce, with Millenium banking on the worldwide rollout helping to amass the most dollars. Expendables 3 earned $214.7M in 2014. If Expend4bles makes anywhere near that amount, it’ll be considered a significant win.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Expend4bles:

A new generation of stars joins the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in The Expendables 4. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Iwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Megan Fox lead Expend4bles, with 50 Cent, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Andy Garcia, Randy Couture, Jacob Scipio, and Levy Tran.

After wrapping his part in Expend4bles, Stallone announced that his fourth film in the action-packed franchise is his last. “It’s time to be movin’ on” from The Expendables. Stallone added that he’s “ready to pass the baton on to Jason [Statham] and his capable hands.” Should there be another franchise installment, Staham might be the new face of the series. As Stallone walked through the set, he spoke of the “heart, energy, and humour” he hopes to bring to all his projects.

“The greatest thing is being able to provide films and entertainment [where] maybe there’s a little message in there, because what I try to convey in my successful films is the human touch, the bond,” Stallone said while reflecting on his time as the Expendables leader, Barney Ross. “Not so much the action, the action is self-evident, but just relating to the audience in a way they can identify with whatever the mission is with the characters at hand.”

Are you excited about Expend4bles hitting theaters like a freight train on September 22? What do you predict this weekend’s Expend4bles box office totals? Let us know in the comments below.