Random 'Rocky' Series Was More Intense Behind Scenes Than A Swift Punch To Jaw (18 items)

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  (#8) 'Rocky' Was Made For Under $1 Million, But Grossed $225 Million

  Most successful movies these days require a massive upfront cost to make. For example, the average Marvel film costs just under $200 million per film. Rocky's budget was less than $1 million total.

  That's why it was so surprising to see the movie gross over $225 million from just the box office alone. Audiences didn't care that the film didn't look as sharp as some others at the time; they were inspired by the story and told all their friends about the exciting movie.
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  (#18) Ryan Coogler Wrote 'Creed' Inspired By His Family's Battles With Illness

  Creed is a phenomenal film and a stellar addition to the Rocky series. Ryan Coogler re-teamed with his Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan to show a young Adonis Creed fighting to break out from his father's immense shadow.

  Coogler grew up watching Rocky films with his father, something that was already a family tradition. His father watched the movies with his own mother during her battle with breast cancer. Later, his father's fight against his illness inspired Coogler's idea for Creed.
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  (#1) When Stallone Wrote 'Rocky,' He Had $106 In The Bank

  Nowadays, people tend to see Sylvester Stallone as one of the most successful actors of all time. He's been the face of massively successful franchises like Rocky and Rambo and continues to beat the hell out of people who could be his grandchildren in the wildly entertaining Expendables films.

  But that's where he is now. In 1975, Stallone had $106 sitting in his bank account. Stallone basically was Rocky, but instead of punching hanging meat into submission, he beat his typewriter until it spit out an Oscar-nominated script.
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  (#2) Stallone Wrote The Whole Script In Less Than Four Days

  With only $106 in the bank, Stallone was looking to profit off his script immediately. He wrote the Rocky script in 3.5 days, which explains why the rewrites for the film were so extensive.

  Stallone estimates the studio only kept about 10% of what he originally wrote. The original script would be unrecognizable to even the most passionate Rocky fans because there were monumental changes between the first draft and what we see on screen. Still, 10% was enough to get Stallone where he is today.
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  (#17) Rocky Jogs Around The Ice Rink Because Stallone Couldn't Skate

  The script's first draft included a date scene in a bustling ice-skating rink, but the producers feared the extras would make the scene too expensive. To get around this, they decided to make the date one-on-one. Unfortunately, there was still a significant problem: Sylvester Stallone couldn't ice-skate.

  To make sure the film stayed under budget, they used the rink after-hours. And to make sure Stallone didn't hurt himself, they had him jog along on the ice, which did strangely fit the character.
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  (#13) The Studio Wanted A Different Actor To Play Rocky

  Even though Sylvester Stallone was the writer of Rocky, nobody wanted him to star in the film. In fact, United Artists offered Stallone $340,000 if he'd sell the script without starring in it. Eventually, the film's budget dropped so low, they couldn't afford that price anymore, so they changed their mind and allowed Stallone to star.

  Before Stallone, the studio considered James Caan, Burt Reynolds, and Ryan O'Neal, who were all much bigger stars at the time.

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