Rocky's Movie Rights Ownership & Controversy Explained

Sylvester Stallone has fuelled the controversy surrounding his lack of movie ownership rights to the Rocky franchise with an Instagram post. In a now-deleted post on social media, Sylvester Stallone fuelled the controversy surrounding the Rocky franchise’s movie rights ownership. The eponymous Rocky franchise was created by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the iconic Rocky Balboa. Stallone wrote the original screenplay in just three days after watching a boxing match between Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali, who heavily inspired the franchise. Having won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing, Rocky is considered one of the greatest-ever sports films. Stallone was even nominated for the Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay Academy Awards.

Following Rocky’s success, Stallone went on to write five more Rocky movies from 1979 to 2006, even directing three of them. These were followed by the 2015 Creed and 2018 Creed II spinoffs, starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis, the son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Stallone was again nominated for an Academy Award for Creed, this time as Best Supporting Actor, and is credited as an actor and writer for Creed 2. With almost 50 years of success, the Rocky franchise has amassed worldwide sales of $1.7 billion, making it one of Hollywood’s highest-grossing film franchises.

Rocky Balboa (2006) Biography, Plot, Filming, Box office, Scene.

In 2019, Stallone accused Irwin Winkler, who has produced every Rocky film and spinoff, of withholding ownership rights to the massive franchise. Stallone said he had “zero ownership of “Rocky”, despite creating and writing all six movies (via Variety). These feelings clearly remain, as Stallone recently expressed still feeling cheated, and accused the 93-year-old Winkler of controlling the franchise for its 47 years. Stallone stated in the post’s caption “I really would like have at least a little [of] WHAT’s LEFT of my RIGHTS back,” (via Instagram). The now-deleted post also featured an image of Winkler’s face merged onto a snake’s body, with a knife for a tongue. This drives home Stallone’s resentment towards the producer, who also tried to block the actor’s Rocky sequel and prequel series ideas.

Why Sylvester Stallone Doesn’t Own Rocky’s Rights

Stallone primarily blames his lack of business savvy and naiveté for not demanding the rights to Rocky. At the time of Rocky’s release, Stallone felt there was a code of conduct to be followed, explaining “you don’t want to ruffle the feathers of the golden goose,” (via Variety). He didn’t believe he could go up against the production studio, who even controlled his agency and attorneys. For a while, he was also preoccupied with his success and dedicated work on releasing future Rocky movies. Stallone did eventually raise the issue before the fourth Rocky installment was released,

however the studio argued he got paid and had nothing to complain about, especially after receiving pay increases with each movie (via Variety). When Stallone brought Rocky back for a sixth installment, Rocky Balboa, Stallone felt a sense of finality on the issue, as his career was too weak to raise the issue anymore. Despite inventing the character and story, Stallone was left with zero ownership of the franchise. Adding insult to injury, Stallone also never saw any of the profits from the many different franchise licenses and merchandise sales.

What Does Stallone Not Owning Rocky Actually Mean?

While some claim the money Stallone has earned from the Rocky franchise justifies his lack of ownership rights, this completely undercuts his work and dedication to the movies. He has no rights to the franchise, and is not fairly recognized for his contributions to the story he created. Stallone cherishes the films, even viewing the sixth Rocky movie Rocky Balboa, as a miracle, as it helped revive his career in the early 2000s after several failed projects. Furthermore, with a zero-ownership percentage, Stallone doesn’t receive any annuities from the franchise, sharing “[t]his is a painful subject [t]hat eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children,” (via Instagram). This reinforces his statement from 2019, where he shared he doesn’t even have 1% ownership to leave his children after he passes (via Variety). Rocky is so much more than a movie to Stallone – it’s his legacy. His late son Sage – one of five children – even appeared in Rocky V as the boxer’s son. Stallone wants his family to have a claim to the Rocky that will last beyond his fortune.

Meet The Birth Family Of Sylvester Stallone, The Man Behind The Rocky Balboa Franchise

How Much Has Stallone Made From Rocky Movies?

By the time the 25-day production had wrapped for Rocky, Stallone had been paid $35,000 for both his screenplay ($25,000 plus $360 a week) and acting ($2,000) (via Variety). He is reported to have also earned $2.5 million from backend percentages on the film’s sales, though Winkler claims “he made way, way more than that,” (via Variety). Stallone went on to earn $75,000 and $120,000 for the second and third films respectively, excluding backend profits. His pay increased significantly over time, with his salary for Rocky V coming in around $15 million, followed by the $10 million he earned for both Creed installments. Stallone’s net worth from the Rocky franchise and other projects exceeds $400 million,

and he maintains his earnings do not justify refusing him ownership rights. Despite harboring negative feelings towards Rocky producer Irwin Winkler over movie rights ownership, Stallone has confirmed he would return to the franchise. Unfortunately, Rocky won’t be returning in Creed III, set to release later this year. Stallone will instead be focusing on his new television series Tulsa King, The Expendables 4, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where he will be reprising his role as Stakar Ogord.