There has been some speculation that Stallone might actually be considering to put an end to “The Expendables” after this film, no matter how well it performs. That would certainly be a disappointing development, but it would be a better idea rather than seeing the films dragged on forever for no good reason just to squeeze some extra money out of them.
Sure, it’s true that “The Expendables” is still a profitable franchise and it would be a smart thing to keep exploring the films and testing how much they can bring in on top of what they have scored so far, but at some point Stallone is going to have to hit the brakes.
There are plenty of examples in the industry of franchises that have gone on for slightly too long and have ended up annoying their fans in the long run.
And considering how much happiness “The Expendables” has given to many of its fans, it would be very sad to see it go down that way. Hopefully Stallone has a solid plan for the future of these films, and he knows how to continue the franchise in a way that expands the action genre even more, showing off the best that some of Hollywood’s finest action actors have to offer.