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)
1. Rocky (1976)
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
Weathers).
Rocky had its premiere in New York City on
November 20th 1976 and was released in the United States on December 3rd 1976.
Rocky became the highest-grossing film of 1976,
earning approximately $225 million worldwide.
It has been ranked by numerous publications as one of the
greatest films of all time, as well as one of the most iconic sports films
ever.
2. Rocky II (1979)
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 Rocky franchise.
Set immediately after the events of the original film, Rocky
Balboa (played by Stallone), struggling to adjust to his newfound fame and
family life, finds himself in a rematch fiercely demanded by Apollo Creed
(Weathers).
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.
3. Rocky III (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 (Stallone) faces stiff competition
from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a powerful new contender, and turns to his old
adversary Apollo Creed (Weathers) to help him train.
The sequel, Rocky IV, was released in 1985.
4. Rocky IV (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 (played by Stallone) confronts
Ivan Drago (played by 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
Entertainment Company 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.
Critical reception of the film became more favorable in the
years later, with praise for the training montages.
The film has been considered an icon of 1980s pop culture
and it has also gained a cult following.
In 2021, a director's cut was released with the title Rocky
IV: Rocky vs Drago, receiving positive reviews from critics.
Another sequel, Rocky V was released in
1990.
The film's storylines are continued in Creed II (2018),
part of the sequel series to the Rocky films.
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5. Rocky V (1990)
It is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G.
Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
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.
The film also underperformed at the box office, grossing
$120 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film of the franchise.
A sequel, Rocky Balboa was released 16
years later in 2006.
6. Rocky Balboa (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 was theatrically released by MGM Distribution Company in
North America and 20th Century Fox internationally on December 20th 2006,
sixteen years after the release of Rocky V and thirty years
after the release of 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, with many critics calling it a significant improvement over
its predecessor and many labelling the film one of the best entries in the
franchise.
7. Creed (2015)
It is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Covington.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 to coincide with the 40th
anniversary of the date of the opening scene in the first film.
It grossed $173 million worldwide and received widespread
acclaim from critics, who praised Coogler's direction, the screenplay and
acting performances.
Among its accolades, it was selected by National Board of
Review as one of the top ten films of 2015, while Stallone won the National
Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Critics' Choice Award for
Best Supporting Actor and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a
Motion Picture and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor.
8. Creed II (2018)
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
Rocky franchise.
It was 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
predictability.
It was also a commercial success, grossing $214 million
worldwide.
The film marked Stallone's final appearance in the series as Rocky Balboa as the former confirmed on Instagram that he set the latter into retirement.
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9. Creed III (2023)
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 in the Rocky franchise.
The film sees the accomplished and recently retired boxer
Adonis Creed (portrayed by Jordan) come face-to-face with his childhood friend
and former boxing prodigy Damian Anderson (portrayed by Jonathan Majors).
It premiered in Mexico City on February 9th 2023, which
coincided 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, the film was a box office success,
grossing over $276 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Creed film
and the second-highest-grossing Rocky film.
Looking for more cinematic universes, long-running sagas, and connected movie timelines? Dive into these in‑depth franchise guides:
- The Evolution of the Predator Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-evolution-of-predator-franchise.html - The Bourne Cinematic Universe Explained
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-bourne-cinematic-universe-explained.html - Unleashing the Transformers Movie Universe
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/unleashing-transformer-movie-universe.html - The MonsterVerse Movies Explained (Godzilla, Kong & more)
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-monsterverse-movies-explained.html - Complete Alien Film Series Breakdown
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/complete-alien-film-series-breakdown.html
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with your favourite film in the Rocky universe and which fighter’s arc
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