The Rocky franchise is one of the most celebrated in Hollywood history, helping make superstars out of Sylvester Stallone and, more recently, Michael B. Jordan. After the great run of the original Rocky movies, the series has been a hit with modern audiences with the Creed franchise, which teamed up Stallone with the young, rising star in Jordan.
The original film was an underdog triumph, much like the story of the movie itself, with Rocky winning the award for Best Picture at the 1977 Academy Awards. Since that movie was released, the overall Rocky franchise and Creed films have combined for over $1.7 billion at the box office. Not bad for a series that started with a movie that was made on a $1 million budget and a fairly unproven star in Stallone.
Over the years, the boxer Rocky Balboa has taken on all types of opponents, from Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Clubber Lang (Mr. T), to the fearsome Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Sometimes Rocky wins, sometimes Rocky loses, but at the end of the day, Stallone’s portrayal always keeps Balboa with his pride and respect, as he always gives everything he has in the ring. That mindset has made the Rocky franchise stand the test of time, and why fans were excited to see Stallone’s Rocky train Jordan’s Adonis Creed in the new films.
The Rocky series has entered popular culture for its fantastic training montages, and Stallone’s physique in each movie has become something fans train to get even today. Muscle & Fitness has helped that along with Stallone’s full arm workout routine, which you can find here.
With so many great fights, moments, and characters throughout the series, it can be hard to decide which one is the “best.” But don’t worry, we’ve done the hard part for you and looked over all the movies in the franchise to come up with a definitive list.
Here’s a look at our ranking from worst to best of the films in the Rocky movie franchise.
The Movie: Rocky Balboa was supposed to be Sylvester Stallone’s shot at giving an adequate send-off to the franchise after Rocky V failed. In this film, Rocky, now in his 60s, faces-off against the current heavyweight champion Mason “The Line” Dixon, played by Antonio Tarver, who was actually a professional boxer at the time. Rocky ultimately loses a close battle, but proves that he’s still a worthy challenger.
The Verdict: Let’s address the elephant in the room: Am I really supposed to believe a 60-year-old fighter can compete with a heavyweight champ in his prime? George Foreman made history when he became the oldest heavyweight champ at 45 years old, and even that was pushing it. Outside of that, I wasn’t very interested in watching one my favorite movie characters bussing tables at his restaurant. The whole movie had a dreary vibe, especially with the death of Adrian (though the energy picked up a bit with the training montage and fight scene).
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7. Rocky V
Release Date: Nov. 16, 1990
The Movie: Following an illustrious career, the Philadelphia legend has fallen on tough times, financially, and retired from boxing due to brain damage. Down on his luck, he finds purpose in training an up-and-coming fighter who later wins the title. That same fighter then calls out Rocky in the hopes of securing his legacy as a legitimate champion. They ultimately have a street fight in which Rocky floors the younger fighter outside of a bar.
The Verdict: Although far from my favorite, this film did bring Rocky back to the gritty Philadelphia streets, which was a welcome change from the previous two movies. Between Rocky feeling sorry for himself, Paulie squandering all of his money, and his son lashing out against the family, this film does have a very relatable element to it. Also, he literally earns the title of the “People’s Champ” with the final fight in front of the neighborhood.
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6. Rocky II
Release Date: Jun. 15, 1979
The Movie: Following his epic battle with Creed, Rocky has newfound fame, but he also discovers he has a detached retina, which sways him to retire from boxing. In his personal life, he and Adrian marry and have a child together. Disgruntled by a growing public sentiment in favor of Rocky, Creed pulls out all of the stops to successfully bait him back into the ring. Once Rocky gets the blessing from his wife, he snaps into fighting shape and ultimately defeats Creed at the bell.
The Verdict: Rocky II by no means is a bad movie, but coming off of the iconicfirst one, it’s hard to recapture that same underdog feeling. Although he’s dealing with issues like a serious injury and his wife’s health, compared to some of the other films the pure motivation just isn’t as present in this film. With that being said, Rocky II still showcased the grit and humble attitude of the Italian Stallion that we’ve come to love.
The Movie: Following Rocky acquiring the belt in Rocky II from Apollo Creed, Philadelphia’s own is on a streak of title defenses against easy challengers. His trainer, Micky, has intentionally kept the champ away from tough fighters, especially Clubber Lang, who ultimately calls out the champ and gets a match. Lang would beat Rocky in the first match, but he ultimately falls in the rematch after Rocky refocused on his training.
The Verdict: Rocky III feels like the glossiest entry in the franchise, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After getting his face bashed in for two consecutive movies, it was nice to see him enjoying the fruits of his labor. Mr. T was an excellent adversary for him, and you really feel Rocky’s passion to climb back to the top of the boxing world, especially after Micky’s death. Lastly, it was also cool to see Hulk Hogan throwing around Rocky.
The Movie: Since Creed’s lost to “Pretty” Ricky Conlan at the end of Creed I, Adonis has since went on a winning streak and captured the WBC heavyweight title. As his star continues to grow, former Rocky adversary Ivan Drago pits his unusually enormous son Viktor Drago against the new champ. He does so publicly, and forces Creed into the fight. Creed gets his teeth kicked in, and plunges into a deep depression. However, after the birth of his child, and conversations with Rocky and his mother, he emerges as a new man ready to fight. In the brutal rematch between Creed and Drago a late and vicious flurry from Creed forced Ivan’s to ironically throw in the towel for his son.
The Verdict: This film definitely wasn’t as great as Creed I, but that doesn’t make it a bad movie. Creed II continued to build out the character of Adonis by giving him a daughter and testing the heart of the champion while tying in previous Rocky films. Brining in Drago’s son was predictable, but executed to perfection. They explored how Ivan’s shame pushed him to become a dictator over his son, and how desperate he was for approval from his ex-wife and country. That extra character development is what gives Creed II the slight edge over Rocky III, even though the plots are very similar.
Since we’re Muscle & Fitness, we also have to acknowledge the powerful physiques of both Michael B. Jordan and Florian Munteanu even though they didn’t look to belong in the same weight class.
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Warner Bros. / Courtesy of Everett Collection
3. Creed
Release Date: Nov. 19, 2015
The Movie: So apparently the former heavyweight champ wasn’t the most faithful husband, because this movie opens us with Creed’s illegitimate child being taken in by his wife. Despite his son, Adonis, not having to fight for a living, he has his father’s blood rushing through him and is naturally inclined to the boxing ring. Creed purses Rocky as his trainer, pestering him until he ultimately agrees. Creed wins his first bout with Rocky in his corner and books a fight with the current champion, who is desperate for one last bout before going to prison. Creed losses the intense fight by decision, but has earned the attention and respect of the boxing world.
The Verdict: If this movie was being ranked with other boxing movies of its time it would be placed higher, but due to the greatness of the films ahead of it, being third is actually an accomplishment. Creed infused the franchise with new life and really showcased Stallone’s acting chops in a completely new way. Jordan completely stepped up as the new leading man of the franchise, and his Adonis has a razor-sharp edge that Rocky didn’t. In addition to the boxing match, Rocky is also fighting for his life, which adds a gratifying emotional layer to the film as a whole.
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Michael Ochs Archives /
2. Rocky I
Release Date: Nov. 21, 1976
The Movie: When the movie begins, Rocky is an all-around underachiever, wasting away his boxing talents as a debt collector. At the time, heavyweight boxing champ Apollo Creed comes to town and offers a Philadelphia local the opportunity to face the champ in an exhibition. In Rocky’s personal life, he’s slowly building a relationship that will become a marriage down the line. As for the fight, the exhibition turned into a grueling battle that went all 15 rounds, resulting in a Creed victory. However, Rocky earned the respect of the boxing world and, more importantly, his hometown.
The Verdict: Despite how people may remember the first Rocky, there isn’t much fighting, but that’s completely fine. Everyone loves an underdog story, and Rocky completely nails that theme. A guy down on his luck finds himself standing toe-to-toe with a legitimate champ in front of his home crowd. Add in the best training montage in the series, with Rocky famously climbing the steps to the Philadelphia Art Museum, and this is a movie that’s hard to beat.
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1. Rocky IV
Release Date: Nov. 27, 1985
The Movie: The first fight of the film actually takes place between Creed and Ivan Drago, the intimidating phenom from the Soviet Union who breaks everything he hits. Rocky is one of Creed’s trainers. The exhibition match soon turns deadly when Drago begins to reign down punishing blows on the former champ ultimately killing him. Soon after, Rocky challenges Drago, fueled by his regret for not throwing in the towel and anger towards Drago and his camp’s indifference regarding the death of Creed. As expected, Rocky conquers Drago in the Soviet Union after a heated battle.
The Verdict: What isn’t present in this film when re-watching is the timely factor. The film was released in 1985, which is only a few years shy of the end of the Cold War. The film plays off of actual current events unlike any of the other films in the series.
With that aside, the simple motivation factor is the most potent of any of the films. Drago had the audacity to utter the now iconic saying, “If he dies, he dies,” when Creed was on the brink of death. That connected the viewer to Rocky in a completely new and more vengeful way. Also, the term “underdog” was taken to new heights when Rocky fought Drago in front of a raucous crowd in the Soviet Union. To top it off, this film for sure has the best replay value.
