On November 3, 1976, the iconic boxing film "Rocky" premiered in New York City. Directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote the screenplay, the movie tells the tale of Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the heavyweight championship.
Stallone's script was inspired by the real-life fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner in 1975. Stallone, then a struggling actor, insisted on playing the lead role, despite the studio's preference for a more established star. The film was made on a modest budget of around $1 million and shot in just 28 days.
"Rocky" became a massive critical and commercial success, grossing over $225 million worldwide and earning ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It won three Oscars: Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture, making it the first sports film to win the top prize.
The film's success launched Stallone's career and spawned a franchise that includes seven sequels: "Rocky II" (1979), "Rocky III" (1982), "Rocky IV" (1985), "Rocky V" (1990), "Rocky Balboa" (2006), "Creed" (2015), and "Creed II" (2018). The series has become a cultural phenomenon, with the character of Rocky Balboa being an enduring symbol of perseverance and the American Dream.
"Rocky" also features one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history: Rocky's training montage, where he runs up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a scene that has been imitated and parodied countless times. The steps have become a popular tourist attraction, with visitors often reenacting the famous scene.
In 2006, "Rocky" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Its impact on popular culture and the sports film genre continues to be felt decades after its initial release.
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