The Expendables 3 is a 2014 American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in The Expendables franchise and the sequel to The Expendables (2010) and The Expendables 2 (2012). The film features an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The story follows the mercenary group known as The Expendables as they come into conflict with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables’ co-founder, who is determined to destroy the team. The film premiered in London on August 4, 2014 and was released theatrically on August 15, 2014, by Lionsgate. Unlike the first two films in the franchise, The Expendables 3 received a PG-13 rating instead of an R rating, which upset many fans of the franchise. Partly due to negative critical reviews and being leaked three weeks before its scheduled release, the film grossed $214.7 million worldwide on an estimated $90–100 million budget
The Expendables 3 becam the lowest-grossing film of the franchise until the sequel, Expend4bles, was released on September 22, 2023.
Unlike the first two films in the Expendables franchise, this film received a PG-13 rating instead of an R rating, which received backlash from the fans. At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Sylvester Stallone announced that he was aiming for a PG-13 rating for the film. Stating that albeit it was close to being rated R, he wanted to reach a younger and broader audience with the new film.