Rocky

This article is about the 1976 film. For the franchise, see Rocky (franchise). For the title character, see Rocky Balboa. For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation).

Rocky
In a black-and-white poster, Rocky in his boxing outfit holding hands with another person. The tagline above the film's title reads "His whole life was a million-to-one shot." The film's credits are printed below the poster.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn G. Avildsen
Written bySylvester Stallone
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJames Crabe
Edited by
Music byBill Conti
Production
company
Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • November 20, 1976 (1976-11-20) (New York City)
  • December 3, 1976 (1976-12-03) (United States)
Running time
119 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,100,000
Box office$225 million[2]

Rocky is a 1976 American independent[3] sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. 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 (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. Principal photography began in January 1976, with filming primarily held in Philadelphia; several locations featured in the film, such as the Rocky Steps, are now considered cultural landmarks.[4] With an estimated production budget of under $1 million, Rocky popularized the rags to riches and American Dream themes of sports dramas which preceded the film.

Rocky had its premiere in New York City on November 20, 1976, and was released in the United States on December 3, 1976. Rocky 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 film's 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, as well as one of the most iconic sports films ever.

Rocky and its theme song have become a pop-cultural phenomenon and an important part of 1970s American popular culture. In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[5][6] The first sequel in the series, Rocky II, was released in 1979.

  1. ^ "Rocky". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Rocky". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Film History of the 1970s". www.filmsite.org.
  4. ^ "Rocky". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Librarian Adds 25 Titles to Film Preservation List: National Film Registry 2006". Library of Congress.gov. Archived from the original on September 10, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  6. ^ "Rocky, Fargo join National Film Registry". Reuters. December 28, 2006. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2010.