Few could predict just how successful and iconic the Rocky films would become. Afterall, it started as a low budget film shot with a then unknown Sylvester Stallone. After its immense success, film after film in the series were produced. So how many Rocky movies are there?
Before you dive into the realm of numbers and rankings of the list of Rocky movies, you might want to watch them all. And the best way to watch them is in the order of their release. So we’ve compiled the list of Rocky and Creed movies in order for you to binge on your next movie night.
How Many Rocky Movies are There?
1. Rocky (1976)
How many rocky films were there? Let’s start at the beginning. When Sylvester Stallone refused an offer to sell his Rocky screenplay unless he starred in it, many thought he was crazy. Stallone at the time had a mere $106 to his name and finally sold the script and himself as the star of the film on the condition that he continued to take on the role of the screenwriter without a fee.
In a true underdog fashion, just as in the film, Rocky went on to win several Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director and became the highest grossing film of 1976. It remains as one of the best sports films of all time.Rocky Movies Series Order
Conclusion
Trivia: The dog, Butkus, in Rocky was Sylvester Stallone's dog in real life.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
All Rocky Movies in Order
2. Rocky II (1979)
Sylvester Stallone takes on the role of screenwriter, star, and for the first time director role in Rocky II. The film picks up right where the previous Rocky ended. A new bout between Apollo Creed and Rocky sets up the story when Creed wants a rematch to prove who the real winner is. The film, like it’s predecessor, was a box office success.
Rocky Movies Series Order
Conclusion
Trivia: Editors Danford B. Greene and Stanford C. Allen worked with Sylvester Stallone on the film’s climactic fight scene for eight months before it finally met Stallone’s satisfaction.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 71%
How Many Rocky Movies are there Total?
3. Rocky III (1982)
The third film of the Rocky series was meant to be the last. Sylvester Stallone originally saw the series as a trilogy, but obviously, that did not happen. Rocky III follows Rocky’s string of title defenses and the anticipation of an upcoming fight with the film’s antagonist, an up-and-coming fighter, played by Mr. T, who is eager to prove that Rocky has finally met his match.
All the Rocky Movies in Order
Conclusion
Trivia: Rocky III was Mr. T’s film debut.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 64%
Rocky Balboa Movies in Order
4. Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky is back in the ring, but this time fighting a super computer trained Soviet boxer. In a bout between American rural work ethic against Soviet technology driven precision, Rocky IV delivers as an underdog story and fueled by vengeance.
While it remained a critical bust, it was received well at the box office. Rocky IV is both the shortest running film of the Rocky movies and also the highest-grossing among the Rocky movies (not including Creed and Creed II).
How Many Rocky Movies are There?
Conclusion
Trivia: In shooting the fight, Stallone decided that he and Dolph Lundgren should actually hit each other to heighten the intensity of the scene. Later that night, Stallone was rushed to the hospital due to a heart problem stemming from actual blows during the filming of the scene
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 40%
How Many Rocky Movies are There in the Series?
5. Rocky V (1990)
Sylvester Stallone hands off the role of the director to John G. Avildsen, the director of the first Rocky. The film follows Rocky who now suffers with brain damage as he tails the end of his career. Rocky has new aspirations to take over Mickey’s gym and take on coaching a young protégé who may be too much to handle.
The film was met with both critical and commercial failure. When rating every Rocky movie out of ten in an interview, Sylvester Stallone gave Rocky V a zero.
All Rocky Movies in Order of Release
Conclusion
Trivia: Rocky V is the only movie of the Rocky series to lose money at the box office.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 29%
How Many Rocky Movies are There?
6. Rocky Balboa (2006)
Sixteen years after the catastrophic failure of Rocky V, Sylvester Stallone returns as both star and actor of Rocky Balboa. The film follows Rocky who is now in his 60s and owns a small restaurant after the death of his wife. When Rocky decides to make a comeback, the current heavyweight champion sets up a bout against the legend. This is the last of the Rocky movies in order until the revamp of Creed. Among all Rocky movies (besides the Creed movies) Rocky Balboa is the highest rated Rocky film since the original Rocky.
All Rocky Movies in Order
Conclusion
Trivia: The filming of the fight was done during an actual HBO pay-per-view boxing match between Bernard Hopkins and Jermaine Taylor. The format, ring, arena, and spectators were all real. Most impressively the “Rocky” chants and screams upon Rocky’s entrance were not instructed and were genuine reactions from the crowd.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
How Many Creed Movies are There?
7. Creed (2015)
How many Rocky movies are there? This list wouldn’t be complete without including the Creed films. Creed stems off of the Rocky series as it follows Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, who is the son of Apollo Creed. When Adonis wants to enter the world of boxing, he cannot find a trainer and seeks out the help of his father’s old friend Rocky Balboa. The film brings a fresh protagonist to the iconic series of Rocky and serves as a passing of the torch becoming the first film in the Rocky series not written by Sylvester Stallone.
How Many Rocky Movies are There Including Creed?
Conclusion
Trivia: During the pre-production phases of Creed, Sylvester Stallone’s son, Sage Stallone, actually died of a heart attack. Stallone broke down and wanted to pass on the film.
He was eventually convinced to do the film and use it as a dedication to Sage through the father-son relationship of Rocky and Adonis. Stallone later admitted that doing the film helped him cope with his son’s death.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
All the Rocky Movies in Order
8. Creed II (2018)
Creed II follows Adonis yet again amidst his successes. The film follows Adonis as he faces Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV. The film is filled with scenes nostalgic of previous Rocky films and themes that were both for and against the film making it compelling, but nonetheless a more predictable sequel. Creed II is the last of the Rocky movies in order.
How Many Creed Movies are There?
Conclusion
Trivia: Rocky’s turtles that appear in this film, Cuff and Link, also appeared in the original Rocky. They have been Stallone’s pets for nearly fifty years, appearing in five films in the Rocky series.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%
Rocky movies in order
9. Creed III (2023)
The ninth and final (as of yet) Rocky film was directed by Adonis himself, Michael B. Jordan. The movie finds Adonis at the top of the world, married and wealthy beyond belief. But things get complicated when an estranged childhood friend, Damian, reenter’s Adonis’s life. Their relationship quickly sours, and the film climaxes with a very anime-influenced final match between the two. The stakes never quite reach the heights of Creed, but it’s a fun watch nonetheless.
How Many Creed Movies are There?
Conclusion
Trivia: This is the first Rocky/Creed movie without Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. The reason? According to Stallone, it’s producer Irwin Winkler, who apparently had a different vision of the project than Stallone.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Up Next
All of the Rocky Films, Ranked
Now that we’ve answered “How many Rocky movies are there?” you may be wondering which ones are the best While we do think the best way to watch the Rocky movies are in the order of their release, we understand some might want to skip to the very best ones. So we compiled a list ranking all of the Rocky movies from worst to best up next.
Up Next: All of the Rocky Films, Ranked →
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