The latest installment in the Expendables franchise, 'Expend4bles', made a disappointing debut with its lowest opening weekend earnings to date - $8.3 million at the US box office. This marks a substantial drop compared to the franchise’s previous films, with the third installment making $15.8 million and the original and its sequel making $34.8 million and $28.5 million respectively.

Despite being the first new entry in the series in almost a decade, and the substantial addition of new cast members such as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, Andy Garcia, and Iko Iwais, the film underperformed. Its earnings, along with other underwhelming box office performances, contributed to the lowest grossing box office weekend of the year thus far. None of the films in the top five were able to surpass the $10 million mark.

The Expendables franchise brings together iconic action heroes from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. While series' original stars Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham returned for this installment, their star power apparently wasn't enough to prevent subdued audience turnout. Critics too have panned the film, with it currently holding a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some of the criticism points to the film lacking the nostalgia, charisma, and charm that initially gave the series its appeal. The presumption is that franchise fatigue may be setting in.