Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two names that stand above all others in the annals of action stars. In one corner is an absolute underdog whose dreams of stardom on the big screen were shattered, but with great willpower he was able to fight the odds and write his most famous role for himself: “The Italian Stallion” Rocky Balboa. In the other corner, we have a man who has turned his unparalleled success in the sport of bodybuilding into an incredible career as a Hollywood leading man and an even more unlikely tenure as governor of America. Both men started their careers very differently, but they followed remarkably similar paths. For decades, fans have always wondered, but who is really the best – Stallone or Schwarzenegger? Here are six things Stallone is better than Schwarzenegger at and six things he is not!
RELATED:
Arnold vs Sly: Schwarzenegger and Stallone Have Been Feuding Since The 1980s
Stallone And Schwarzenegger are both star of action movies
For Stallone, there’s perpetual underdog boxer Rocky Balboa and PTSD lone soldier John Rambo. For Schwarzenegger, there’s a killer robot from the future, the T-800 from the Terminator franchise, the predator-killing Major Dutch, and the sword-wielding Cimmerian Conan the Barbarian. With these characters came classic one-liners such as “Adrian, I did it!” Rocky. and “I’ll be back!” Terminator. To be honest, mentioning their most famous characters is overkill – two is their most famous character. Not surprisingly, both have had public rivalries for years. Although today they are great friends. Both Arnold and Stallone are now rich and famous. Both followed unique paths to success. But which one is better?
Stallone is a multi time Oscar nominee
Stallone has reached the pinnacle of Hollywood artistic achievement – the Oscars… sort of. Stallone was nominated three times for the Academy Award – for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for Rocky in 1977 (he was also nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award) and for Best Supporting Actor for Creed. in 2016 (which earned him a Golden Globe). ). This makes him one of only six actors to have been nominated more than once for the same character, along with Cate Blanchett, Paul Newman and Al Pacino. In 2016, his film Rocky won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Golden Globe Award for Best Debut Film Stay Hungry in 1977. When it comes to winning gold, Da Stallone is the clear winner.
Schwarzenegger is a world champion bodybuilder
Schwarzenegger is a world-class athlete who is considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, if not the greatest. While experts may argue about who is the best based on this or that statistic, no one can deny that Schwarzenegger has brought more attention to bodybuilding than anyone before or since. However, Arnold’s career he really was the real deal. In 1980, at the advanced age of 33, Schwarzenegger won over 20 bodybuilding championships, including three Mr. Universe titles (four if you count). his amateur win) and seven Mr. Olympia. Along the way, he literally wrote a bodybuilding book, Arnold: Schwarzenegger redefined what an action star should look like.
Stallone is a multi talented filmmaker
Although Arnie is a real movie star, he is without a doubt not the most talented actor, his screen presence is based on pure charisma. Stallone has the same cinematic magnetism. In addition to being nominated twice for an Academy Award for his role as Rocky Balboa, he also delivered a powerful performance as a PTSD Vietnam veteran in First Blood. 25 TV shows or films, and directed eight films. Sure, some of his creative endeavors are truly terrible (like the 1983 Saturday Night Fever sequel Lost, which earned 0% on Rotten Tomatoes) But with a few Rocky, Rambo, and The Expendables movies in his work, Stallone is indeed an experienced and profitable director of action films. In total, his eight films have grossed $1.3 billion worldwide.RELATED:
Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone: Who Was the Best Action Movie Hero?
Schwarzenegger was the Governator of California
Schwarzenegger is one of three actors who have become state governors. Schwarzenegger was elected to replace recalled Democrat Gray Davis, who served as Republican Governor of California from 2003 to 2011, including re-election in 2006. Schwarzenegger held the same seat and party as Ronald Reagan, who served as governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and then served two terms as president from 1981 to 1989. Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter that he would have also run for president in 2016 but was unable to do so because the constitution forbids foreign-born people from serving as president. Jesse Ventura, Schwarzenegger’s Running Man and Predator co-star, served as governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003.
Stallone’s movies have made more money
Both Stallone and Schwarzenegger are in spades. But who has more? In fact, in Hollywood, only one signifier matters – who made the most money at the box office. By that standard, Stallone is the winner. Stallone’s total box office gross is $2.8 billion domestically and $6.3 billion worldwide. Schwarzenegger had $2.1 billion domestically and $5.4 billion worldwide. As huge as those numbers are, they’re even more impressive when you consider they’re not adjusted for inflation, as both actors’ biggest successes happened over 25 years ago. And in the films that were made, Stallone starred in more films, in 62 films versus Schwarzenegger’s 44 films, and Arnold stopped acting when he served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011. However, both actors had already passed their box office peak by that point, so it’s unlikely that Schwarzenegger would have starred in a massive hit in those years.
Schwarzenegger has a higher career average
Stallone outperforms Schwarzenegger in total box office receipts with the aforementioned. So while Stallone has a higher total, Schwarzenegger has a higher average. Stallone’s 62 films have earned an average of $54 million domestically and $112 million worldwide, while Schwarzenegger’s 44 films have taken home an average of $60 million domestically and $135 million worldwide. While both guys were most successful playing their main characters (Stallone with Rocky and Rambo and Schwarzenegger with the T-800), they were also successful in other roles. We can say that during their commercial peak, Stallone and Schwarzenegger were with money.RELATED:
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Film Career
Stallone’s characters are more iconic
It’s safe to say that Stallone’s most famous characters, Rocky and Rambo, are more iconic than Schwarzenegger’s T-800. This is subjective, but justified. First, Rocky is the winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has led the franchise of eight films, including the Creed films, with $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. While the Rambo films are less popular than Rocky, the five-movie franchise still made an impressive $817 million. the Terminator franchise has made more ($2 billion worldwide across six films) However, to be fair, the franchise has been on creative life support since the 1991 masterpiece Terminator 2: While the Terminator series has “I’ll Be Back” and “hasta la vista, baby”, Rocky has more memorable quotes than we can list, and Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” are easily up the Terminator theme. Also, Rocky is so iconic that they have a statue built for him.
Schwarzenegger biggest hit made more than Stallone
Schwarzenegger’s biggest hit surpassed Stallone’s by a pretty significant margin. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with an internal revenue of $204 million, was the biggest box office hit in 1991. Stallone accomplished a similar feat in 1976 when Rocky topped the box office with $117 million, and he nearly did the same in 1985 when Rambo: First Blood Part IIÂ ($150 million) and Rocky IV ($127 million) ) took 2nd and 3rd places. But Stallone’s biggest success (not adjusted for inflation) isn’t really a Rocky or Rambo movie. With the exception of his cameo appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Stallone’s The Expendables 2 was the biggest box office hit of $311 million in 2012. Not bad, but still less than $200 million of what T2 made worldwide 20 years ago. In addition, Schwarzenegger also played a prominent role in Stallone’s biggest hit, The Expendables 2. Both men have a lot to brag about at the box office, but Schwarzenegger’s biggest success has brought in far more than Stallone’s.
Stallone always got top billing over Schwarzenegger
This is one of the most coveted places in all of Hollywood. Being first on the list above a movie title is an absolute statement about the power of a star, and so, naturally, it has caused a lot of brawls among movie stars. Perhaps most famous is the positioning on the poster for The Towering Inferno, where Steve McQueen’s name was first, but Paul Newman’s name was higher. This was not a surprise in The Expendables as Arnold had an uncredited cameo and Stallone wrote, directed and starred in it. Stallone again received a perfect score in The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3, while Arnold received “and Schwarzenegger” credit, a respectable position given his minor supporting role. But in 2013’s Escape Plan, where only Stallone and Schwarzenegger were the main characters, Stallone got the highest score.