Summary

• Statham's star power shines in $152.7 million box office hit, proving his value as a leading man in action films.
• The Beekeeper showcases Statham's draw with critics and fans, outshining even established franchise names.
• Expendables 4 may have flopped, but Statham's potential as the franchise's new face is undeniable, paving the way for success.

Known for portraying gritty action heroes, actor Jason Statham is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. After leading heist thrillers like Crank and The Italian Job, Statham landed roles in two of the The Expendables and the Fast & Furious. In the latter, he plays Deckard Shaw, a former UKSF soldier and MI6 agent who initially has it out for Vin Diesel's Dominic "Dom" Toretto. While Statham has even co-starred in the Fast & Furious spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, he continues to lead non-franchise action flicks too.

Statham is still one of the industry's most coveted leading men.

With cameos in Fast 9 and Fast X, Statham has channeled his star power into 2023's Expend4bles, which also sees him serving as a producer, and fresh blockbusters like The Meg. While none of those films are necessarily critical darlings, they are box office smashes, proving that Statham is still one of the industry's most coveted leading men. That said, the star's most recent action movie hit, which generated $152.7 million at the box office, shows that Statham is the key to saving one of his own $840 million action-thriller franchises.

The Beekeeper's Box Office Proves Expendables Becoming A Jason Statham Franchise Would Work

The Beekeeper Made $152.7 Million At The Global Box Office

Throughout the first decade or so of his film career, Jason Statham generated over $1.5 billion in ticket sales (via The Beekeeper shows that the action star's draw is as huge as ever before. Against a $40 million budget, The Beekeeper generated a whopping $152.7 million at the worldwide box office. Not to mention, the action flick received acclaim from critics and genre fans alike, and boasts an impressive 71% certified fresh rating. In the film, Statham's Adam Clay, a former "Beekeeper" agent, exacts revenge on the scammers responsible for the death of his landlady.

Expend4bles attempted to the torch from Sylvester Stallone to Statham...

The premise, and Statham's justice-driven character, are extremely straightforward, allowing the action flick to focus on fun set pieces and combat sequences. A completely original story, viewers are left wanting to know more about whom the Beekeepers are in the film's lore. Needless to say, The Beekeeper proves that Statham's star power is potentially more valuable than a well-known franchise's name. Expend4bles (also known as Expendables 4) attempted to the torch from Sylvester Stallone to Statham, but wound up becoming a massive flop. Clearly, the fourth Expendables flick didn't flop because of Statham.

Expendables 5 Needs To Fully Embrace Jason Statham (& Forget Sylvester Stallone) To Succeed

Expendables Needs To Move Forward With Lee Christmas As Its Lead

Coming nearly a decade after the third Expendables movie, Expendables 4's ensemble cast boasts not just Statham and Stallone, but Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Andy García, among many other big-name Hollywood action stars. In the film's opening sequence, Stallone's Barney Ross, the leader of the Expendables team, seemingly dies. This pushes Statham's Lee Christmas, the team's knife expert and second in command, to step up. The narrative twist was meant to prepare viewers for Stallone stepping down from the Expendables franchise altogether.

The fourth Expendables outing grossed just $51.1 million worldwide against a budget of $100 million.

Statham, who also oversaw the film's post-production and served as a producer, is clearly primed to be the next Stallone. Unfortunately, Expendables 4's box office performance tells a different story. The fourth outing grossed just $51.1 million worldwide against a budget of $100 million. A massive box office flop, Expendables 4 was far from the commercial success Lionsgate had anticipated. However, mega hits like The Beekeeper and The Meg 2: The Trench, which made a staggering $397.7 million worldwide, prove that going all in on Statham isn't the Expendables' problem.

Jason Statham Should Bring David Ayer To Direct Expendables 5 After The Beekeeper

Statham Has Found Massive Success Outside Of The Expendables Franchise

Beekeeper director David Ayer made a name for himself in the world of crime-thriller films with enduring hits like The Fast and the Furious and S.W.A.T. In the wake of The Beekeeper's success, Ayer and Statham have signed on to make another action thriller together, Levon's Trade. Originally, Stallone worked to adapt Levon's Trade's source material, providing yet another link between the action vets. Needless to say, it would be smart for David Ayer and Jason Statham to extend their partnership to Expendables 5 — if it ever happens.

The Beekeeper is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.