Rocky

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Sylvester Stallone as Robert “Rocky” Balboa
• Talia Shire as Adriana “Adrian” Pennino
• Burt Young as Paulie Pennino
• Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed
• Burgess Meredith as Michael “Mickey” Goldmill
• Thayer David as George “Miles” Jergens
• Joe Spinell as Tony Gazzo
• Tony Burton as Tony “Duke” Evers
• Pedro Lovell as Spider Rico
• Stan Shaw as “Big Dipper” Brown
• Jodi Letizia as Marie
• Frank Stallone as Streetcorner Singer
• Joe Frazier as Himself

Storyline:

Rocky Balboa is a struggling boxer trying to make the big time, working as a debt collector for a pittance. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and a struggling boxer, touting the fight as a chance for a “nobody” to become a “somebody”. The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time.

About Movie:

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama directed by John G. Avildsen, written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The first film in the Rocky franchise, it features Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith.

Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky in three and a half days, shortly after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner that took place at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, on March 24, 1975.

Despite a challenging production process—due to Stallone’s insistence on playing the lead—United Artists ultimately agreed, even after Stallone turned down a six-figure offer for the film rights.

Filming commenced in January 1976, with Philadelphia as the primary location. Several spots, like the Rocky Steps, have since become cultural landmarks. The film’s production budget ended up being $1,075,000, with a further $100,000 spent on producers’ fees and $4.2 million on advertising costs. Rocky popularized the rags-to-riches and American Dream themes in sports dramas.

Premiering on November 20, 1976, in New York City, and widely released on December 3, Rocky became the highest-grossing film of the year, earning around $225 million worldwide. It was praised for Stallone’s screenplay, the performances, direction, score, cinematography, and editing. The film garnered ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture. It is often regarded as one of the greatest and most iconic sports films ever made.

Both the movie and its theme song have become pop-culture phenomena, symbolizing 1970s American cinema. In 2006, the Library of Congress inducted Rocky into the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. The film’s first sequel, Rocky II, was released in 1979.

Budget & Box Office Collection: