Rocky is an American sports drama multimedia franchise created by Sylvester Stallone, centering on the fictional life of boxer Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which began with the eponymous 1976 film and has since become a cultural phenomenon.
The original film Rocky was written by Stallone and directed by John G. Avildsen, and was followed by the sequels Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), and Rocky Balboa (2006). Stallone wrote each of the five sequels and directed four, with Avildsen returning to direct Rocky V.
A sequel film series followed, with Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), and Creed III (2023). The series stars Michael B. Jordan as boxer Adonis Creed, with Rocky as his trainer in the first two films. The Creed films were directed by Ryan Coogler, Steven Caple Jr., and Jordan respectively.
A fourth Creed film, a stand-alone Drago film, a prequel television series, and various other spin-offs are in development.
The first five films in the collective franchise were distributed by United Artists, the seventh and eighth films were distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and the sixth and ninth films were distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Rocky, Rocky III, and Creed were nominated for Academy Awards, with the first winning Best Picture, Best Director for Avildsen, and Best Film Editing, and is considered one of the greatest sports films of all time. Stallone was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the first film and Creed, respectively. Rocky has influenced landmarks and popular culture; the entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art has become known as the Rocky Steps while phrases like "Yo, Adrian!" and "If he dies, he dies" have become part of lexicon or widely memed. Balboa is also considered one of the most iconic fictional characters, and the franchise is closely linked with its successful theme songs, including "Gonna Fly Now", "Eye of the Tiger", and "Burning Heart".
Films Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Original series Rocky John G. Avildsen Sylvester Stallone Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff Rocky II Sylvester Stallone Rocky III Rocky IV Rocky V John G. Avildsen Rocky Balboa Sylvester Stallone David Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff and Kevin King-Templeton Spin-off series Creed Ryan Coogler Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington Ryan Coogler Irwin Winkler, David Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, Robert Chartoff, Kevin King-Templeton and Sylvester Stallone Creed II Steven Caple Jr. Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone Sascha Penn and Cheo Hodari Coker Irwin Winkler, David Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, Kevin King-Templeton, Sylvester Stallone and Ian Sharples Creed III Michael B. Jordan Zach Baylin & Keenan Coogler Ryan Coogler and Zach Baylin & Keenan Coogler Irwin Winkler, David Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, Kevin King-Templeton, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Glickman
Rocky (1976)
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a small-time boxer who works as a collector for a loan shark and fights in small venues for low pay. His gym trainer, Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), is frustrated at Balboa's wasted potential. At the same time, Rocky courts Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire), a painfully shy woman with an alcoholic brother, Paulie (Burt Young), Rocky's best friend. But when world heavyweight champion boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) chooses Rocky at random as his opponent in a title fight, Rocky realizes he has the chance to prove his worth. With Adrian's support, sponsorship offers with the help from Paulie, and Mickey becoming his trainer and manager, Rocky is determined to go the distance with Creed and fights for his self-respect.
Rocky II (1979)
Soon after proving himself, even through he suffers a split decision loss to Apollo Creed, Rocky marries Adrian and begins spending the money he earned from the match. But after he fails at both endorsements and a series of low-wage jobs, Rocky realizes that the only way he can survive is to begin boxing again. Creed, on the other hand, faces criticism from fans as well as his own knowledge he did not give his best in the fight. As a result, he publicly taunts Rocky into a rematch, for which Rocky trains once again with Mickey. In the fifteenth round, Rocky knocks Creed to the ground, falling to the canvas himself in the process. Both fighters struggle to get to their feet, but only Rocky is successful, and is declared the World Heavyweight Champion.
Rocky III (1982)
After winning the heavyweight title, Rocky takes advantage of his newfound wealth and fame, appearing in multiple advertisements, charity and fundraisers, and television programs. After defending the title multiple times, he is prepared to retire, but the number one contender, Clubber Lang (Mr. T), challenges Rocky publicly. Mickey suffers a heart attack before the fight, and Rocky is knocked out by Lang in the second round. Mickey dies after the fight, and Rocky's former rival Apollo Creed steps in, training Rocky to fight in Creed's old Los Angeles gym. In the rematch, Rocky outboxes Lang, eventually knocking him out in the third round. After the fight, Apollo calls in his "favor" for training Rocky, which is a one-on-one sparring match between the two of them with no cameras or media in the gym. The film ends as they each throw their first punch.
Rocky IV (1985)
After winning back his title from Clubber Lang, Rocky and Apollo are good friends. However, a new fighter from the USSR, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), arrives in the USA along with his wife, trainer, and training team. Motivated by patriotism, Apollo challenges Drago to an exhibition match, but the beating he takes from Drago ends with Apollo dying in Rocky's arms in the ring as Drago coldly watches. To avenge Apollo, Rocky challenges Drago to a match, which is to be held on Christmas Day in Moscow. Rocky trains in a remote cabin in Siberia with the help of Creed's old trainer Duke, his brother-in-law Paulie, and eventually Adrian, doing exercises such as chopping wood, lifting rocks, running in the snow and climbing a mountain, while Drago is seen in an advanced training facility running on treadmills, using weightlifting machines and injecting steroids to boost his strength. During the fight, Rocky takes a fierce pounding of his life but refuses to fall. He eventually wins over the Russian crowd with his display of courage and determination, and knocks Drago out with seconds left in the final round.
Rocky V (1990)
In the aftermath of his fight with Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa is diagnosed with brain damage and is forced to retire from the ring. Additionally, the Balboas' fortune is all gone due to an unscrupulous accountant. Rocky's family returns to their old neighbourhood and Adrian returns to the pet store she used to work at, while Rocky (Robert) Jr. (Sylvester Stallone's real son Sage) deals with bullying at his school and Rocky re-opens Mickey's old gym. While training other boxers, Rocky meets a young, hungry boxer named Tommy Gunn (real-life fighter Tommy Morrison) and begins training him, which results in a strained relationship with Robert. As Tommy begins his rise to fame under Rocky's wing, fight promoter George Washington Duke convinces Tommy to leave Rocky. After Tommy wins the heavyweight title, he thanks Duke instead of Rocky, and is met with jeers from the crowd. Tommy seeks out his former mentor for a final showdown. After Tommy punches Paulie, Rocky then challenges Tommy outside and the two proceed in a violent street brawl, which Rocky wins. Rocky then punches Duke for harassing him. Rocky and Robert reconcile.
Rocky Balboa (2006)
Sixteen years since his fight with his former protégé, Tommy Gunn, Rocky still staggers around an ever-changing world; he and Robert have grown distant, Paulie is working back at the meat plant, and Rocky's wife Adrian has died from ovarian cancer. Rocky runs a restaurant in Philadelphia named after his wife, which he stocks with mementos of his prime as he tells his old fight stories to his customers. But when a computer-simulated fight on ESPN depicting a bout between a young Rocky Balboa and the current champion, Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) depicts Rocky emerging victorious, Rocky discovers he has not lost his fighting spirit and considers an opportunity to prove himself in the ring once again. Rocky goes the distance with Dixon but loses in a split decision just like the first film. Rocky is last seen visiting his wife's grave saying, "Yo, Adrian, we did it".
Creed (2015)
Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the extra-marital son of the late former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, tracks down Rocky Balboa at Adrian's and asks Rocky to become his trainer. Rocky is reluctant but eventually agrees. When word gets out that Adonis is Creed's son, the handlers of world light heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, who is forced into retirement by an impending prison term, offer to make Adonis the latter's final challenger—provided that he change his name to Adonis Creed. Adonis balks at first, wanting to forge his own legacy, but he eventually agrees. While helping Adonis train, Rocky learns he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He is initially unwilling to undergo chemotherapy because he sees the cancer as a chance to reunite with his deceased loved ones. Adonis persuades Rocky to seek treatment and continues training while Rocky recovers. In a battle reminiscent of Apollo and Rocky's first fight, Adonis fights Conlan in Conlan's hometown of Liverpool and surprises almost everyone by going the distance and pushing Conlan to his limit. Conlan wins by split decision, but Adonis wins the respect of Conlan and the crowd, with Conlan calling Adonis the future of the light heavyweight division. Returning to Philadelphia, Adonis and a recovering Rocky make their way up the Philadelphia Museum steps and look at the skyline.
Creed II (2018)
Three years after losing the fight to "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, Adonis Johnson Creed wins the World Heavyweight Championship and proposes to his girlfriend, Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson). Meanwhile, three decades since the death of Apollo Creed and his loss to Rocky Balboa, Ivan Drago is training his son, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), to reclaim their honor by having Viktor publicly challenge Adonis for the World Heavyweight Title. Rocky is reluctant to train Adonis, fearing Adonis will meet the same fate as his father, but Adonis accepts the challenge without him and is badly injured during the fight. Because of Viktor's disqualification, Adonis retains the title. Viktor demands a rematch, while he is being promoted by his father's supporters who originally abandoned Drago, including Drago's ex-wife, Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen). Viktor is subjected to vicious training sessions in preparation for the rematch. Rocky comes to Adonis' aid and decides to train him in the Southern California desert, with a different tactic for Adonis to take in Viktor's powerful punches. The rematch is set in Moscow, and Adonis is able to take Viktor's punches, leaving Viktor exhausted. Viktor's supporters and his mother leave during the fight after Adonis gains the upper hand. Drago, seeing his son taking Adonis’ punches without fighting back, throws in the towel and assures Viktor that he is more important to him and that he will not abandon him like he was. While Rocky later reunites with his son, Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), and meets his grandson, Adonis goes to his late father's grave, making peace with his late father and honoring his legacy.
Creed III (2023)