The Rocky Cinematic Universe begins when a small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
This guide is based on a video from my YouTube channel Cinema Awards Archive, where I cover all nine films in the Rocky and Creed saga.
A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
- Rocky (1976)
- Rocky II (1979)
- Rocky III (1982)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- Rocky V (1990)
- Rocky Balboa (2006)
- Creed (2015)
- Creed II (2018)
- Creed III (2023)
It is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector from Philadelphia, gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers).
Rocky entered development in March 1975, after Stallone wrote the screenplay in three days.
It entered a complicated production process after Stallone refused to allow the film to be made without him in the lead role; United Artists eventually agreed to cast Stallone after he rejected a six-figure deal for the film rights.
Rocky had its premiere in New York City on November 20th 1976 and was released in the United States on December 3rd 1976.
It became the highest-grossing film of 1976, earning approximately $225 million worldwide.
The film received critical acclaim for Stallone's writing, as well as the performances, direction, musical score, cinematography and editing.
Among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations and won three including Best Picture.
It has been ranked by numerous publications as one of the greatest films of all time and one of the most iconic sports films ever.
It is a 1979 American sports drama film written, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
It is the direct sequel to Rocky (1976) and the second installment in the franchise.
Set immediately after the events of the original film, Rocky Balboa, struggling to adjust to his newfound fame and family life, finds himself in a rematch fiercely demanded by Apollo Creed.
It was theatrically released in the United States by United Artists on June 15th 1979.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its characterization, finale and Stallone's performance.
It grossed $200 million worldwide and $85 million in North America, making it the third highest-grossing film of 1979 domestically and the second highest-grossing film worldwide.
The sequel, Rocky III, was released in 1982.
It is a 1982 American sports drama film written and directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
The film is the sequel to Rocky II (1979) and the third installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, Rocky Balboa faces stiff competition from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a powerful new contender, and turns to his old adversary Apollo Creed to help him train.
Rocky III is the first film in the franchise not solely distributed by United Artists due to the company's merger with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981, and was released in the United States on May 28th 1982 by MGM/UA Entertainment Company.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and music but criticism for its screenplay, with some critics deeming the film unnecessary.
Retrospective reviews have been more positive and the movie gained a strong cult following.
It grossed $270 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessors to become the then-highest-grossing film in the franchise and one of the biggest films of 1982.
Its theme song, "Eye of the Tiger", became a hit single and received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 55th Academy Awards.
The sequel, Rocky IV, was released in 1985.
It is a 1985 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone.
The film is the sequel to Rocky III (1982) and the fourth installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, Rocky Balboa confronts Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a Soviet boxer responsible for another personal tragedy in Balboa's life.
Rocky IV premiered in Los Angeles on November 21st 1985 and was theatrically released in the United States by MGM/UA under its United Artists label on November 27th.
The film initially received mixed reviews, with praise for Drago's credibility as a villain but criticism of the predictable screenplay and overt Cold War themes.
Scholars have noted how Drago's defeat and the Soviet crowd's embrace of Rocky reflected shifting attitudes toward the Soviet Union, while others criticized the film as propaganda.
The film was a box office success, grossing $300.5 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise and one of the top films of 1985.
Critical reception became more favorable in later years, with praise for the training montages, and the film has become an icon of 1980s pop culture with a strong cult following.
In 2021, a director's cut titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago was released to positive reviews.
Another sequel, Rocky V, was released in 1990, and the film’s storyline threads are later picked up again in Creed II (2018).
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It is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
It is the sequel to Rocky IV (1985) and the fifth installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, a financially struggling Rocky Balboa agrees to train protégé Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) at the gym once owned by Balboa's trainer, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith).
It was released in the United States on November 16th 1990.
The film received negative reviews from critics, with criticism for its screenplay, characterization, continuity errors and medical inaccuracies.
It also underperformed at the box office, grossing around $120 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film of the franchise.
A sequel, Rocky Balboa, was released 16 years later in 2006.
It is a 2006 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone in his first film as director since 1985.
It is the sequel to Rocky V (1990) and the sixth installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, Rocky Balboa, now an aging small restaurant owner, is challenged to an exhibition fight by hotheaded young boxer Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver).
It was theatrically released by MGM Distribution Company in North America and 20th Century Fox internationally on December 20th 2006, sixteen years after Rocky V and thirty years after the first film.
It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay, Stallone's performance and heartfelt exploration of Balboa's character, and many called it a significant improvement over its predecessor and one of the best entries in the series.
It was also a commercial success, grossing about $156 million worldwide.
A spin-off, Creed, was released in 2015 and began a new chapter for the franchise.
It is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Covington.
It is the first spin-off of and the seventh overall installment in the Rocky franchise.
In the film, amateur boxer Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is trained and mentored by Rocky Balboa, the former rival turned friend of Adonis' father, Apollo Creed.
Although Rocky Balboa (2006) was considered the end of the franchise, MGM hired Coogler in 2013 to develop a Rocky spin-off centered on Apollo’s son.
Creed had its premiere on November 19th 2015 at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles and was released in the United States on November 25th by Warner Bros Pictures, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the date of the opening scene in the first film.
It grossed about $173 million worldwide and received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised Coogler's direction, the screenplay and the acting performances.
Among its accolades, it was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2015, while Stallone won multiple supporting-actor awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The film was followed by Creed II (2018) and Creed III (2023).
It is also the first film in the franchise to credit Sylvester Stallone as a producer.
It is a 2018 American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone.
It is the sequel to Creed (2015), a follow-up to Rocky IV (1985) and the eighth installment in the overall Rocky franchise.
It premiered on November 14th 2018 at the Lincoln Center in New York City and was released in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros Pictures on November 21st.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly those of Stallone, Jordan and Lundgren), character development and Caple's direction, while noting its narrative predictability.
It was also a commercial success, grossing about $214 million worldwide.
The film marked Stallone's final appearance in the series as Rocky Balboa, as he later confirmed that he had set the character into retirement.
It is a 2023 American sports drama film starring and directed by Michael B. Jordan in his directorial debut.
It is the sequel to Creed II (2018), the third installment in the Creed film series and the ninth overall film in the Rocky franchise.
The film sees accomplished and recently retired boxer Adonis Creed come face-to-face with his childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors).
It premiered in Mexico City on February 9th 2023, coinciding with Jordan’s 36th birthday, and was released in the United States on March 3rd as the first film distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures after its acquisition by Amazon and the dissolution of United Artists Releasing.
The film received positive reviews from critics for Jordan's direction, the story, performances and fighting sequences.
Like its predecessors, it was a box office success, grossing over $276 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Creed film and the second-highest-grossing film in the overall Rocky franchise.
If you love underdog stories, boxing dramas and long-running character arcs, make sure to:
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