2012 · R · 103 min
The Expendables 2
The Expendables seek revenge after a simple mission goes wrong and one of their own is murdered by a rival mercenary.
- Director
- Simon West
- Released
- August 17, 2012
- Studios
- Lionsgate, Millennium Films
- Worldwide
- $224,012,234
The Expendables 2
- Budget
- $75,000,000
- Opening Weekend
- $24,131,738
- Domestic
- $101,117,573
- Worldwide
- $224,012,234
- Return on Budget
- 3.0x
Synopsis
The picture.
The Expendables are reunited when Mr. Church enlists them for a seemingly simple job to recover a mysterious package from a crashed plane in Albania. The mission goes sideways when a rival mercenary group led by Jean Vilain ambushes them and executes the team's newest recruit.
Fuelled by vengeance, the team tracks Vilain across Eastern Europe, uncovering his plan to extract and sell weapons-grade plutonium from a Soviet-era mine. Old allies and a local resistance group help them face overwhelming odds.
The final confrontation is an all-out assault to stop the plutonium sale and settle the score.
Above the Line
Cast & crew.
Director
- Simon West
Writers
- Richard Wenk
- Sylvester Stallone
Principal Cast
- Sylvester Stallone
- Jason Statham
- Jet Li
- Dolph Lundgren
- Chuck Norris
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
Studios
- Lionsgate
- Millennium Films
- Nu Image
Trailer
Watch it.
Production Notes
What made it work.
- 01
Filmed primarily in Bulgaria at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia and outdoor locations including the Devetashka Cave.
- 02
Significantly expanded the screen time of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis after their cameos in the first film.
- 03
Action legends Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme joined the cast, with Van Damme as the primary antagonist.
- 04
Generally regarded by critics as an improvement on its predecessor, with more humour and a deeper bench of action icons.
Reception
How it landed.
Critical
Critics largely viewed it as an improvement on the original, praising the increased humour and ensemble cast.
Audience
Commercial success driven by global fan enthusiasm for the genre and the all-star lineup.