Sylvester Stallone ’s Expendables franchise was initially rated R, much like many Stallone action films were in the past. Expendables 2 also maintained the same rating from the first. However, when Expendables 3 came along, Stallone felt it was time for a change.
Why ‘Expendables 3’ ended up being rated PG-13 Stallone sought to bring together a mixture of classic and contemporary action stars with his Expendables franchise. As such, the movie would feature actors like Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Wesley Snipes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other actors known for their physicality. In keeping line with 80s action movies, the first two Expendables movies were rated R.
Although both films performed decently enough at the box office, Stallone decided to go PG-13 for Expendables 3 . A lot of factors went into his decision. Stallone saw how some of the more modern action movies were able to draw in huge audiences going PG-13.
But those movies still maintained a considerable amount of violence. Stallone felt his Expendables franchise could do something similar. “The idea of PG-13 is that we wanted to reach a broader audience.
And because of our predecessors, looking at the Bourne films and James Bond, we thought they’re pretty violent films. They’re extremely graphic without pushing it,” Stallone once said in an interview with Indie London . Additionally, Stallone also felt the gratuitous violence that an R rating might allow could do more harm than good for the franch.