At this point, the story of the making of Rocky is almost as famous as the title character’s run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Struggling actor Sylvester Stallone pours all of his self-doubts and frustrations into a script about a club boxer from Philly who gets a match against the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed. Stallone writes the entire script in less than a week, then refuses to sell it to anyone who won’t agree to let him star in it.
The film becomes a smash, then wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Stallone becomes a major star, but after his first two post-Rocky projects stumble at the box office, he returns to Rocky for a heartfelt sequel. He continued to bring back the character over and over all through the 1980s and into the early 1990s, then revived him again in 2006 when his career was at another low ebb. After he’d seemingly said farewell to the “Italian Stallion” for good, Rocky made yet another improbable resurgence when writer/director Ryan Coogler sold the studio on a spinoff film called Creed, about the son of Rocky’s rival, Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan. The spinoffs, featuring Rocky as Adonis’ shrewd trainer, have proven nearly as successful. To date, they’ve produced three movies of their own.
We’ll never know who’d win in a fight between Rocky and Adonis, but we can figure out which of their respective franchises is superior. The list below ranks every Rocky and Creed movie to find out which one is the undisputed champion. So cue up some Bill Conti, put on your best gray sweatsuit, chug a couple of raw eggs, and let’s go for it.
Every Rocky and Creed Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
It’s the best sports movie franchise in history — but the Rocky and Creed series have had their highs and lows. Here they are:
The Worst Billion-Dollar Blockbusters
All of these movies grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. And they all stink.
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