Every Rocky Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Across the vast landscape of sports movies, few are more beloved than the "Rocky" films. The eponymous "Rocky" launched the series in 1976, and was written by its star, Sylvester Stallone. An Academy Award winner – it took home the trophies for best picture, best director, and best film editing — it was an unlikely candidate to launch a decades-long franchise. But that's just what happened, beginning with its first sequel, "Rocky II," in 1979. 

Stallone starred as the ring-rocking rabble-rouser Rocky Balboa himself in the franchise's first six entries. In 2015, he returned as a supporting player in the quasi-sequel "Creed," which sparked its own series of films. With the release of "Creed III" in 2023, there's now an impressive nine films in the "Rocky" saga, spanning nearly half a century. The earliest films chronicle young Balboa's struggle at the bottom of the heap, his dazzling rise to the top, and his fall from grace. Packed with adventures in the ring and out, the series is full to bursting with iconic moments. Rocky is an American sports icon as popular as any real-life athlete, and he's made the money to prove it: The franchise's combined box office haul reaches into the billions. 

The "Rocky" films stand out as some of the best-rated sports movies of all time. But now matter how great the franchise might be as a whole, its installments aren't equally acclaimed. How do they stack up? Get your spit bucket, put in your mouth guard, and lace up your boxing gloves, because we're ranking every film in the "Rocky" series from worst to best.

We acknowledge that it might hurt some readers to see "Rocky III" so far down on this list, as it remains a favorite of many fans of the franchise. After all, this film is home to what may be the greatest fight in the entire "Rocky" series – which is really saying something, as the whole thing is one brawl after another. 

Written and directed by Stallone himself, "Rocky III" begins a few years after Rocky's narrow defeat of Apollo Creed via a knockout punch in "Rocky II." Since then, Rocky has gone on to have a wildly successful professional career, retain his championship status, and embrace his fame and fortune. In fact, he's now a full-blown celebrity — and that's not really a good thing. Rocky's reputation has gone to his head, while his career has come under scrutiny, as he fights mostly fluff fighters and charity bouts. So, when a fiery rising star known as Clubber Lang (Mr. T) emerges, Rocky wants to prove he's more than just a pretty face. But one of his closest friends pays the price for his hubris.

According to some critics, "Rocky III is where the franchise begins to feel creaky. This may be true, but the film also challenges Rocky in new ways, resulting in a compelling examination of the effects of celebrity. "Rocky III" forces Balboa to face new and unexpected obstacles, both in and out of the ring. It also sees the beginning of his lifelong friendship with former adversary Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), a major turning point in the franchise. Finally, "Rocky III" is responsible for some of the series' most indelible images, such as the training montage in which Apollo helps rebuild the spiritually broken Rocky.

In 1977, "Rocky" took home a trio of Academy Awards. But the film's screenwriter and star had more stories to tell, and in 1979, a follow-up materialized: "Rocky II." This may have been something of a surprise in an era where franchises weren't the norm. Moreover, this time, Stallone wasn't content simply to write the screenplay — he moved into the director's chair. The film reunites the original cast, with Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith all returning.

The movie opens on a surprising turn of events: In the aftermath of the bloody brawl with defending champion Apollo Creed, Rocky seemingly decides to hang up his gloves for good. It doesn't last long, though, as the two titans return for a rematch. For Apollo, this is a chance to prove that the boxer who nearly bested him isn't all he's cracked up to be. For Rocky, it may be his last shot to become champ. Crucially, unlike the last time they faced off, Rocky's coming into the ring armed with all the experience and grit needed to come out on top.

While "Rocky" succeeds as the story of an underdog discovering that winning isn't everything, "Rocky II" soars as the feel-good picture with the happy ending audiences want. It isn't quite as acclaimed as its predecessor, nor did it match its victory at the box office, but the sequel more than lives up to the hype. Stallone's newfound control as director also proved to be a success, leading to him helming three more entries in the series himself.

Before it debuted, many wondered how "Rocky" spin-off "Creed" would succeed with a new fighter in the starring role and Sylvester Stallone playing mentor — particularly after the failure of the similarly-themed "Rocky V." But the Ryan Coogler-directed film silenced all doubters, and a sequel, "Creed II," arrived in 2018. This film's screenplay was co-written by Stallone, while Stephen Caple Jr. replaced Coogler, who was off making "Black Panther." The film serves as a somewhat surprising follow-up to the events of fan-favorite installment "Rocky IV," and sees the return of Dolph Lundgren to the franchise.

In "Creed II," one-time street boxer Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is at the top of his game, and has the winning record to prove it. But after years of training, Adonis and Rocky have a bitter falling out over how to respond to a public challenge from Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Adonis' father's killer, Ivan Drago. Departing the city of Philadelphia and returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, Adonis must prepare for the toughest fight of his life. Meanwhile, Rocky spars outside the ring with the man who killed his best friend.

With an emotional story that calls back to older "Rocky" lore, "Creed II" was a big success. It raked in over $200 million and was showered with praise by critics and fans alike. It also cemented Michael B. Jordan as an undisputed star, capable of carrying his own spin-off series, guaranteeing we'd be seeing more of steely-stomached scrapper Adonis Creed.

The film that started it all, 1976's "Rocky" didn't just launch the now decades-spanning saga — it also propelled Sylvester Stallone from obscurity to absolute superstardom. Nearly penniless when he sold his script for the film, Stallone actually had to lobby to play the leading role himself, as the studio wanted a bigger, well-known name to play Rocky. In fact, they famously offered him a big payday not to star in the film. But the young actor and screenwriter stuck to his guns, and the result is an all-time classic and Academy Award-winning film that spawned a major franchise.

The film begins with reigning heavyweight champion boxer Apollo Creed enjoying his time at the top. After his planned opponent for a title fight in Philadelphia backs out, he searches for a new challenger and settles on local amateur boxer Rocky Balboa. Rocky must prep for a fight unlike any he's taken on before. Before the big day arrives, however, Rocky faces the enemies of fear and doubt, which might be harder to knock out than his actual opponent. He also struggles to romance Adrian (Talia Shire), a young woman who is concerned about his career as a fighter. 

A story of grit, determination, and heart, "Rocky" has gone down as one of the best underdog stories of all time. Produced on a meager budget of just $1 million, the plucky film also scored a KO at the box office, and made both Stallone and Rocky into ironclad legends. Interestingly, the film also helped pioneer use of the Steadicam, resulting in a now-iconic shot of Rocky ascending a Philadelphia staircase, where a statue of the character now stands.