Not many sports franchises in the history of cinema have been as wildly successful as Rocky. This film series premiered its first installment in 1976, and over the years, became one of the most popular franchises in cinema, becoming an element of our popular culture familiar to thousands of people worldwide and used in several subsequent productions. The Rocky franchise not only proved to be a groundbreaking hit, it also transformed the life of its main actor, Sylvester Stallone.
Although he had been trying to make it in the industry for some years, Stallone was struggling hard to get significant roles. However, following a burst of inspiration after watching a match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, he wrote the entire script for Rocky in just three days, and then set out to find a studio to produce the film under one condition: he would have to star in it. This made things quite difficult, especially considering that, at the time, he was an unknown actor.
However, after much back and forth, United Artists agreed to honor his request, and this resulted in the making of one of the greatest films of all time. Rocky became an absolute hit with audiences and received critical acclaim and several awards. The popularity of this film spawned a franchise with several sequels and a spin-off film series that is still running to this day, with big plans for the future. Here is a look back at all the films in the Rocky franchise.
Rocky Balboa, The Italian Stallion
The 1976 film Rocky first introduced Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer from Philadelphia whose life turns upside down after boxing champion Apollo Creed chooses him as his opponent for one of his matches. Thus, Rocky goes from being completely unknown to one of the biggest names in the sports industry, something that changes his life dramatically. Rocky was directed by John G. Avildsen and became the best rated production in the entire franchise. Its success spawned the development of its five sequels: Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V and Rocky Balboa, released between 1979 and 2006.
Throughout the film series, the audience follows the popular boxer throughout his career, passing through his golden years and every one of his major matches up until his retirement. Apart from Apollo Creed, Balboa’s most relevant opponents in the franchise include Ivan Drago, Clubber Lang and Tommy Gunn, his first protégé.
On top of serving as star and writer on all six films, Stallone directed four of them, with Avildsen returning solely to helm Rocky V. And, although these productions managed to hold on to a huge fan base over the years that continues to worship them to this day, they were met with fairly mixed reviews: Rocky, Rocky II and Rocky Balboa performed well at the box office, but were mostly remarkable for their critical acclaim. Rocky III and Rocky IV, on the other hand, weren’t particularly well reviewed, but still became the highest-grossing films in the original series. The only installment in the franchise that fared poorly both at the box office and with critics was Rocky V, which is considered by many as the worst film in the Rocky series.
Creed: A New Champion Taking the Spotlight
The sixth installment in the Rocky film series hit theaters in 2006, 16 years after the previous film. Back then, this film was supposed to be the end of the popular sports franchise, also serving to redeem Rocky V‘s flop. However, the journey was far from over for this franchise, and that is why 2015 marked the release of Creed, the first spin-off of the Rocky series.
This production by Ryan Coogler introduces audiences to Adonis, an amateur boxer and son of sports star Apollo Creed who, aided by his trainer and mentor Rocky Balboa, grows into a promising boxing star. Thus, as with The Italian Stallion, fans once again follow a promising sportsman’s story from his beginnings to the moment of his retirement. Michael B. Jordan leads the cast alongside Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad and Tony Bellew.
Creed proved to be a major hit with critics and audiences, prompting the development of two sequels. The first one, Creed II, was released in 2018, with Steven Caple Jr. serving as director. As for Creed III, it hit theaters earlier this year, marking Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, and it was the first film in the entire Rocky franchise to not feature Stallone as a cast member. Unlike the original film series, all of Creed‘s films earned rave reviews and turned into box office hits.
What Does the Future Hold for This Franchise?
As of today, the Rocky franchise comprises nine films: six focusing on Rocky Balboa, and three centered around Adonis Creed. And this does not seem to be the end for this franchise, as it has a very promising future ahead with several new projects that could potentially follow. One of the productions that has already been confirmed by its main star is Creed‘s fourth movie. In an interview with IGN back in February, Jordan announced that he will reprise the role of Donnie in a new Creed sequel, and that there are also a few spin-offs under consideration regarding popular characters in the franchise, although there is no further news on any of these productions for now.
Another upcoming project in the franchise that has fans buzzing with anticipation is Drago, the spin-off film that will revolve around Ivan Drago. This movie, which is still under development, was announced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 2022, with Robert Lawton serving as screenwriter.
On top of these two films, back in 2019 Stallone announced that he was working on a script for a seventh Rocky movie, in which he would once again serve as both lead actor and writer. However, following ongoing arguments with producer Irwin Winkler over the franchise rights, the actor confirmed earlier this year that this new installment would never see the light of day.