Who's The Most Successful Expendable?

We imagine the air on the set of ‘The Expendables 3' was already thick with testosterone and man scent – and with actors like Stallone and Schwarzenegger on the cast, one-upmanship was surely the order of the day.

Rather than measure their biceps, however, we’ve decided to see which 10 Expendables cast members had the most clout where it really mattered: at the box-office. Let the financial flexing begin!

10. Jason Statham

Lifetime box-office gross: £454.7 million

Average box-office gross: £16.8 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘The Italian Job’ (2003) - £63.6 million

He’s the new kid on the block, relatively speaking, so The Stath can take some comfort in the fact that most of the other action heroes on this list have at least an extra 20 years’ worth of box-office takings. Guy Ritchie, ‘The Transporter’ trilogy and ‘Crank’ movies helped make him a star, but it was his supporting role in the Hollywood remake of ‘The Italian Job’ that’s been his most successful movie in the US to date. If we run this list in a decade, expect Statham to be considered higher (and considerably more bruised).

Read more: Sly Stallone Heckles Jason Statham at ‘Expendables’ Premiere

9. Jet Li

Lifetime box-office gross: £469.2 million

Average box-office gross: £29.3 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Lethal Weapon 4’ (1998) - £78.2 million

He’s the shortest of the Expendables and Jet Li comes up short here too, although this list does only count movies that had a release in the US – if you factor in Li’s Eastern movies, he’s a way more powerful player. Is is telling that Li’s most successful movie to date was ‘Lethal Weapon 4’, his Hollywood debut? Not really: big budget has never really been Li’s thing, and a string of medium hits like ‘Cradle 2 The Grave’, ‘The One’ and ‘Romeo Must Die’ all made him as profitable as he was entertaining.

8. Wesley Snipes

Lifetime box-office gross: £560.2 million

Average box-office gross: £19.3 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Blade II’ (2002) - £49.3 million

He’s been out of the game for a few years – something about losing a tax form down the back of the sofa – but Snipes has a pretty strong showing for a guy who never really wanted to be an action hero. Reteamed with Demolition co-star Stallone after being released from jail, Snipes will be hoping ‘The Expendables 3’ can top the ‘Blade’ movies at the box-office, although his most successful non-superhero movie is the magnificent sports comedy ‘White Men Can’t Jump’, which just goes to show: action ain’t everything.

Read more: The Fall and Rise of Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes Hints At ‘Blade’ Return

7. Kellan Lutz

Lifetime box-office gross: £983 million

Average box-office gross: £66.5 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ (2010) - £180.1 million

K-Lutz is no klutz when it comes to picking successful projects. Of course, the five ‘Twilight’ movies he’s appeared in make up the lion’s share of his box-office takings – indeed, remove the saga from his total and he’s only amassed in the region of $280 million – but he’s new blood and still finding his footing in the action game. Immortals was his biggest non-vampire success story with $83 million domestic, although he didn’t play the lead – and his last leading role in ‘The Legend Of Hercules’ bombed hard. He’ll always have ‘Twilight’.

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lifetime box-office gross: £1.112 billion

Average box-office gross: £38.9 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991) - £122.7 million

Shock! Screen titan Arnie is a legend of action cinema, yet his mid-table finish does not do him justice. With several decades’ worth of classics under his considerable belt, Schwarzenegger will have to be happy just knowing he has the best and most lasting body of work of any of ‘The Expendables’ (yes, including Kellan Lutz), but his strong average box-office gross – over 30 years, remember – is at least indicative of his enduring popularity. Also, he ran the world’s eighth largest economy for eight years. So there’s that.

Read more: Arnie’s Love Child Attends Expendables 3 Premiere

5. Sylvester Stallone

Lifetime box-office gross: £1.133 billion

Average box-office gross: £29.8 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985) - £90.1 million

Another shock! Barney ‘The Boss’ Ross in ‘Not actually the boss’ catastrophe! Stallone not making the upper echelons of the most successful Expendables list isn’t too surprising on reflection – he had an extremely fallow period in the late nineties/early noughties and his career was considered deader than a doornail. However, ‘Rocky Balboa’ proved he still had “something in the basement” and we wouldn’t be here talking about ‘The Expendables’ today if it weren’t for his leadership. Also important: he beat Arnie.

Read more: Stallone Hits The Red Carpet With Daughters

4. Mel Gibson

Lifetime box-office gross: £1.242 billion

Average box-office gross: £37.6 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Signs’ (2002) - £136.5 million

The fallen one. It seems so long ago now, post-meltdown, but Mel Gibson used to be a demographic-straddling, Oscar-conquering slayer of box-office records, juggling hit franchises (‘Lethal Weapon’, ‘Mad Max’) with critically acclaimed dramas (‘Braveheart’). How times change: in the last decade, Mel has only grossed around $50 million, with each ‘comeback’ less effective than the last. Cheer up, Gibbo: you’re officially more successful than Arnie and Sly.

Read more: Mel Gibson: My Heart Goes Out To Shia LaBeouf

3. Antonio Banderas

Lifetime box-office gross: £1.300 billion

Average box-office gross: £32.5 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Shrek 2’ (2004) - £264.4 million

¡Ay, caramba! As super-energetic new Expendable Galgo, Antonio Banderas walks off with the movie – and he’s almost waltzed away with the top honours here. Sure, you could argue that the Spaniard’s $2 billion total is skewed somewhat by about a billion dollars of ‘Shrek’ voiceover work, but don’t forget his fine work in the ‘Zorro’ movies, the ‘Spy Kids’ franchise and hits like ‘Interview With The Vampire’ – and there’s his Spanish language films, which don’t even make the list. Señor Banderas, we salute you!

2. Bruce Willis

Lifetime box-office gross: £1.962 billion

Average box-office gross: £33.3 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999) - £175.8 million

The reason Bruce Willis doesn’t feature in ‘The Expendables 3’ is because he asked for too much money – perhaps Stallone looked at his $3.2 billion of total gross and decided he didn’t need any more gold houses or rocket cars. Nonetheless, Willis is a machine: his five Die Hards gift him a podium finish, but it’s standalone movies like ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Armageddon’ that see him take the silver medal. But who takes gold?

1. Harrison Ford

Lifetime box-office gross: £2.147 billion

Average box-office gross: £60.7 million

Biggest domestic hit: ‘Star Wars’ (1977) - £276.2 million

Ford replaced Bruce Willis in ‘The Expendables 3’, worked a few days, pretended to fly a helicopter and subsequently tops the list of the most successful Expendables. ‘Star Wars’. ‘Indiana Jones’. The Jack Ryan movies. ‘Air Force One’. ‘The Fugitive’. Harrison Ford has more hits than a DJ with the complete collection of Now That’s What I Call Music. That total is only going to go up thanks to ‘Episode VII’, while ‘Indy 5’ remains a grim possibility. Well done, Harrison: go and buy yourself a special new earring to celebrate.

Read more: How Much Did The Original ‘Star Wars’ Cast Get Paid?

All data from boxofficemojo.com

Image credit: Paramount/Rex Features/New Line Cinema/eOne/Carolco/Touchstone/Dreamworks/Buena Vista