Sylvester Stallone has been a staple of Hollywood action films for decades, starring as veteran John Rambo and Rocky Balboa. If Rocky (1976) put Sly on the map, it was First Blood (1982’s Rambo) that cemented Stallone among the pantheon of Hollywood action films. According to Men’s Health, Stallone starred in 60 films in the 1970s, but none of his roles ever made as big an impact on the general public as Rocky and Rambo.Since the original release of First Blood, four more Rambo films have been made: the somewhat confusingly titled Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), in which Rambo mows down ranks of short-sighted enemies in the jungle, Rambo III (1988) , known as Rambo: Last Blood (2019).
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Stallone owns the copyright to each of these projects, and the money he earned from acting, directing, and producing left him with a net worth of almost ($400,000,000). Despite his humble Hollywood beginnings (he slept at a bus stop in 1970, according to Mental Floss), wealth has gone to his head at times, such as when he was sued by servants (yes, servants) who were told not to look him in the eye or talk to his mother, according to the BBC.
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When Stallone helped write First Blood, he was primarily known for his role as
Rocky Balboa. At the time he had refused to sell his script for Rocky for $300,000 unless he starred in the film, and consequently went from a penniless, aspiring actor with $106 in the bank (as stated by Prevention) to the lead of a franchise that has generated about a billion dollars. With First Blood, based in the 1972 David Morrell book of the same name, his fortune grew by $7 million, and the film earned $125 million worldwide. Given that Stallone at one time commanded $20 – $30 million dollars for films like Rocky IV and Rambo II: First Blood Part II. By the timeRambo III came around, Stallone’s paycheck earned him $16 million even though the movie performed less admirably than its predecessor, at $180 million.
2008’s Rambo and 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood each performed successively worse than their predecessors (and had relatively small budgets of $50 million, of which Stallone’s salary is derived).Realistically, this puts Sly’s earnings for all of the Rambo films combined at no more than the $75-100 million range. No small sum, but the majority of his wealth has come from other sources — and that’s even counting the Rambo merchandising through his own website (including Rambo duffel bags), as reported by Marketplace.More of his fortune can be attributed towards the Rocky franchise and other movies (such as $20 million for 2001’s Driven, or $35 million for 2013’s Detox), and the appreciation of that money over time.
In 1984, he earned $4 million and a producer credit for Rhinestone. Maintaining a strong paycheck, Stallone received $12 million for Over the Top.
Films like Lock Up, Tango & Cash, and Demolition Man all netted him between $15 and $16 million each, while Daybreak garnered him $17.5 million, and Driven and Eye See You brought in $20 million apiece.Stallone cashed in a total of $51 million from The Expendables franchise. For the first three films, where he served as co-writer, producer, and star, Stallone received around $16 million for each, totaling $48 million, according to Parade.