Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were the two biggest action movie stars of the ‘80s, but which of these two is the best musclebound Hollywood icon? Schwarzenegger first rose to prominence as a bodybuilder before transitioning into an acting career. His appearance in the hit documentary Pumping Iron led to leading roles in blockbuster action movies like Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. Stallone, frustrated with his limited options as a struggling actor, launched his own career with his Oscar-nominated script for the ultimate boxing movie, Rocky, in which he played the title character (and earned a second Oscar nod for Best Actor).
After great success, Schwarzenegger and Stallone continued to dominate the action genre in the 80s. Schwarzenegger’s name became the best-selling tool on the movie poster, stuck on the advertisement of the films “Commandos” and “Red Hot”, and Stallone simultaneously headed two of the most popular franchises in the world. Rocky and Rambo. During the 80s, there was a fierce rivalry between Schwarzenegger and Stallone. But who won this rivalry? Of these two huge action heroes, who had the best movies, the best game, the best box office and the best overall star power?
Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone’s Feud Explained
During the 1980s, Schwarzenegger and Stallone gained fame as two of the biggest action stars in the world. Since then, Schwarzenegger has explained the enmity that arose from this cinematic rivalry. According to Schwarzenegger, he and Stallone “brought rivalry to the extreme”. As the feud intensified, they worked hard to have more muscles than each other, they armed their characters with the most powerful weapons to outdo each other, and intended to kill more people on screen than each other. As a result, one of the most massive and terrible fighters ever created was created, with a record number of victims and a huge firearm held in one hand.RELATED:
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Over time, this rivalry grew into friendship. Schwarzenegger explained that when he and Stallone decided to invest in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, they went on an advertising tour around the world. According to Schwarzenegger, when they flew around the globe together, they became “fantastic friends”. Once they were rivals who were determined to surpass each other, but now, according to Schwarzenegger, they are “inseparable”. Schwarzenegger and Stallone used to create competing star cars, trying to surpass each other’s work, but over time they became closer to each other and even shared the screen as a classic double action movie.
Why Stallone Was The Better Action Movie Star Of His Era
It’s hard to call Schwarzenegger or Stallone the best action star because they are both true legends of the silver screen. Both Schwarzenegger and Stallone have their share of great and not so great films. Schwarzenegger appeared in such action masterpieces as Predator, True Lies, Total Recall and the first two Terminator films, while Stallone starred in such masterpieces as Rocky, First Blood, Cliffhanger, “Cops” and “Creed”. Schwarzenegger also starred in less impressive films such as Collateral Damage, Batman & Robin and all the other Terminator films, while Stallone appeared in the extremely disappointing films Cobra, Judge Dredd and Stop! ” Or my mom will shoot.
Arguably, of the two, Stallone is the better action movie star. Stallone has three Academy Award nominations, which is three more than Schwarzenegger. Obviously, Oscar nominations aren’t the best judge of success in the oft-overlooked action genre, but Stallone’s two acting nods are a clear indication that he’s a stronger actor. Stallone brings plenty of depth and nuance to characters like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, while Schwarzenegger’s most famous role is that of an emotionless killing machine. Schwarzenegger is at the mercy of whatever scripts are available to star in, but, as a writer-director, Stallone has always self-generated his material, and plays to his own strengths.
Schwarzenegger vs. Stallone At The Box Office – Who Wins?
As a leading man on the big screen, Schwarzenegger’s movies have just about outgrossed Stallone’s movies at the global box office. Stallone has grossed a worldwide total of $3,968,629,043 with starring roles in 45 movies (via The Numbers), while Schwarzenegger has grossed a slightly larger total of $4,110,260,858 with starring roles in just 31 movies (via The Numbers). Schwarzenegger’s total is only slightly higher than Stallone’s, but he achieved that figure with fewer films. Even though he only starred in about two-thirds the amount of movies as Stallone, Schwarzenegger still managed to gross more at the box office as a leading man.RELATED:
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Stallone has grossed $1,029,991,330 as part of a sprawling ensemble cast, such as The Expendables or The Suicide Squad, while Schwarzenegger’s ensemble films have only grossed $365,136,310 worldwide. However, Stallone has an advantage here because he’s appeared in eight ensemble movies while Schwarzenegger has only appeared in four (but that’s still a higher total per ensemble movie than Schwarzenegger). It’s rare that Schwarzenegger and Stallone take supporting roles as opposed to lead roles, but Stallone has grossed more as a supporting actor. Stallone has grossed $2,222,037,729 as a supporting player in eight movies, while Schwarzenegger has grossed $726,398,791 as a supporting player in three movies.
All 4 Times Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone Worked Together
Since their intense rivalry blossomed into a beautiful friendship, Schwarzenegger and Stallone have worked together from time to time. In addition to their mutual investments in Planet Hollywood restaurants, Schwarzenegger and Stallone shared the screen in a total of four films. Schwarzenegger’s uncredited cameo appearance alongside Stallone and fellow action icon Bruce Willis in The Expendables marked the first time they worked on a film together. Schwarzenegger’s character in the Expendables franchise, Trench Mauser, is a former rival of Stallone’s character Barney Ross, who eventually became his ally. This backstory between their characters mirrors the backstory of the two actors’ relationship off-screen.
Schwarzenegger reprized his role as Trench in much larger roles in The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3. The Expendables rescue a captured Trench in the opening scene of The Expendables 2, and he returns the favor by helping in the final battle. In The Expendables 3, he appeared again in the final battle, this time teaming up with Jet Li’s Yin Yang and Harrison Ford’s Max Drummer. The most iconic team-up of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone appeared in the 2013 action film Escape Plan, in which they play two prisoners who join forces to escape the world’s most secure prison.