Sylvester Stallone’s $1.5 Billion ‘Rocky’ Franchise Was Built on ‘Toothpaste Commercial’ Budget in America

Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone did the seemingly impossible task of shooting himself into stardom with just one movie. This was due to the success of his boxing franchise ‘Rocky’, which saw worldwide success after its release becoming one of the highest-grossing franchises in cinema.

However, many don’t realize that the first film didn’t have much going for it with producers rejecting Stallone’s script on multiple occasions. Despite this ‘Sly’s tenacity would lead producer Irwin Winkler to bet on him which has certainly paid off. Moreover, Stallone also once revealed that the movie wasn’t a high production but made on a budget of a commercial.

Sylvester Stallone reveals Rocky was made on a very low budget

In an interview with the BBC back in 1997, Stallone stated that the first ‘Rocky’ movie was a very low-budget production and made as cost-efficiently as possible. He then claimed that the movie was made on a budget of $960,000 which was equal to a toothpaste commercial. He even cited that this was one of the reasons why producers were willing to make the movie as they had little to lose.

“It was a small movie; it was made for like one-tenth or one-fifteenth of what they pay in say a James Bond movie or Pink Panther. It came it at $960,000 which is what a good toothpaste commercial costs in the United States really. So, they really didn’t have much to lose,” said Stallone.

Read More: Tragic Story of Butkus: The Dog Sylvester Stallone Was Forced to Sell Before ‘Rocky’

While in hindsight many people would feel that this movie should have been produced on its first reading. However, at the time producers were reluctant to try new ideas which resulted in Stallone taking cuts just to finish the movie. Despite this, things seemed to have turned out better than expected with the movie becoming a global blockbuster.

How much has the ‘Rocky’ franchise grossed worldwide?

The franchise has grossed over $1.5 billion in box office collections worldwide. The top-collecting film of the franchise is the iconic Rocky 4 which raked in over $300 million worldwide followed by Creed 2, which grossed over $213 million. Moreover, each of the movies has earned over $100 million making it one of the most successful movie franchises ever.

Despite this, Stallone doesn’t own the rights to the movie which means he won’t get a larger chunk of the earnings. However, he still rakes in millions of dollars in royalties and merchandising only adding to his current wealth.

What did you think about ‘Rocky’ being made with such a small budget? Let us know in the comments.

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