Rocky III

• Sylvester Stallone as Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr., "The Italian Stallion": the heavyweight champion of the world who continues to defend his title against other fighters. When Lang challenges Rocky and wins, the public cries for a rematch. As Rocky is reluctant following Mickey's death, former rival, Apollo Creed, befriends and trains The Italian Stallion in his preparation to take on Clubber Lang.
• Talia Shire as Adrian Balboa: Rocky's wife and supporter throughout his boxing career.
• Burt Young as Paulie Pennino: Rocky's friend and brother-in-law.
• Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed: The former Heavyweight Champion and Rocky's arch-rival, who agrees to train him after the death of Mickey. In the process, the two become very close friends.
• Burgess Meredith as Mickey Goldmill: Rocky's friend, manager and trainer, who unexpectedly dies; a former bantamweight fighter from the 1920s and the owner of the boxing gym where Rocky trained for his first fight against Apollo.

• Tony Burton as Tony "Duke" Evers: Apollo Creed's father figure, friend, trainer, and manager, who helps Apollo train Rocky.
• Mr. T as Clubber Lang: The underdog challenger who beats Rocky in a championship fight, amidst the unexpected death of Mickey. The public's general dislike and lack of respect for him as Heavyweight Champion of the World leads to a rematch with Rocky. Orphaned at an early age, Lang spent most of his childhood on the streets of Chicago's South Side as well as spending time in orphanages and juvenile facilities. As an adult, Clubber was sent to prison for five years for one count of a felony and/or assault charge. While serving his sentence, he discovered his talent as a boxer. Boxing was a way to let out his frustration, which leads to the events of Rocky III.
• Ian Fried as Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Jr.: Rocky and Adrian's only child.
• Hulk Hogan as "Thunderlips": The current world wrestling champion, who fights Rocky in a charity event.

In addition to the main cast several others had cameo appearances. Bill Baldwin and Stu Nahan returned as the fight commentators for the two Rocky-Lang fights. Veteran ring announcer Jimmy Lennon was the ring announcer for the first Lang fight, while boxing judge Marty Denkin was the referee. Lou Filippo returned for his third appearance as a referee during the second Lang fight. Dennis James and Jim Healy appeared as the commentators for the Rocky–Thunderlips match, while LeRoy Neiman was the guest ring announcer. Jim Hill was a TV announcer. A then unknown Morgan Freeman auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Lang's trainer. Footage of Stallone's guest appearance on The Muppet Show was incorporated in the opening sequence, with Jim Henson dubbing Kermit the Frog's announcement that the episode's guest was Rocky Balboa, rather than Stallone.

For the role of Clubber Lang, two real world-class heavyweight boxers were first considered: Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers. Both were about the same height as Sylvester Stallone and had the powerful physique he was looking for, but, according to casting director Rhonda Young, Frazier had a stuttering problem, while Shavers had a high-pitched voice which would have undermined the character's menacing presence. After looking far and wide (even going to prisons in the hope of finding a suitable black antagonist), Rhonda Young stumbled upon a television program on NBC, America's Toughest Bouncer, showcasing a sports competition, and was mesmerized by the winner's physical prowess as well as his charisma. She then called the producer, Dan Ohlmeyer, to ask him about "the man with the mohawk". It turned out that not only Mr. T was a perfect fit, but he also proved tremendously determined to give the best possible performance right from the first screen test, for what would be his breakout role.[2]

In preparation for film, Stallone claims to have got his body fat percentage down to his all-time low of 2.6% and weighed 155 lbs. He stated that he ate only ten egg whites and a piece of toast a day, having a fruit every third day. His training consisted of a two-mile jog in the morning followed by two hours of weight training, a nap during the afternoon followed by 18 rounds of sparring, another weight training session, and finishing the day with a swim.[3]

The three Rocky statues made for the movie weigh 800 pounds (360 kg) each and stand about 8.5 feet (2.6 m) tall. The third statue was listed on eBay in early 2005, with a starting bid of $5 million. It was being auctioned to raise funds for the International Institute for Sport and Olympic History. It failed to sell and was listed again for $3 million; after receiving only one bid, which turned out to be fraudulent, it has been re-listed several times for $1 million.[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]

1. "Eye of the Tiger" (by Survivor) – 3:53
2. "Take You Back (Tough Gym)" – 1:48
3. "Pushin'" – 3:10
4. "Decision" – 3:20
5. "Mickey" – 4:42
6. "Take You Back" – 3:37
7. "Reflections" – 2:05
8. "Gonna Fly Now" – 2:52
9. "Adrian" – 1:42
10. "Conquest" – 4:40

• Frank Stallone – vocals (2, 3, 6)
• Ray Pizzi – sax (3)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (3)
• Vincent DeRosa – French horn (5)
• Mike Lang – piano (5)
• DeEtta Little, Nelson Pigford – vocals (8)

The version of "Eye of the Tiger" that appears in the film is actually a demo—the "finished" version is what appears on the soundtrack. Also missing from the soundtrack is the instrumental version of the song played when Rocky is training in Apollo's old gym.

Rocky III was an enormous box office success and surpassed the gross of its predecessor.[12] The film grossed $16,015,408 in its opening weekend[13] and earned $125,049,125 during its North American theatrical run,[14] becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 1982;[15] its worldwide box-office earnings stand at around $270 million.[16] Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel attributed the film's success to the positive reaction from critics and audiences towards Rocky II and the production team's "quality control" of that film. Siskel stated "if you want a hugely successful series, then make sure that the second one is a winner."[17]

Rocky III holds a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews, with an average of 5.5/10. The film's consensus reads, "It's noticeably subject to the law of diminishing returns, but Rocky III still has enough brawny spectacle to stand in the ring with the franchise's better entries".[18] On Metacritic the film has a score of 57 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19] The film is one of the few which has received the rare A+ grade from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.[20]

Gene Siskel gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "Sorry to say this, but there's not anything new in Rocky III, and we sit there wondering why it exists." He added that "we see nothing new about Rocky's character, except that the tender side of his soul, which made him so appealing, is now virtually missing. Rocky Balboa in Rocky III is no longer likable."[21] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker stated, "The first Rocky was primitive in a relatively innocent way. This picture is primitive, but it's also shrewd and empty and inept."[22] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Somehow, Sylvester Stallone has kicked life into what you might imagine is a pretty tired Rocky Balboa and has gotten him up on his feet again ... Rocky III works, possibly even better than numbers I and II."[23] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post called it "as much fun as ever, a ground-meat-and-potatoes movie, with guys beating hell out of each other to a disco beat."[24][25] Tom Milne of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Starting off with a replay of our hero's second miraculous return from the dead to win the championship back at the end of Rocky II—itself a virtual repeat from the original Rocky—Rocky III soon demonstrates that it has nothing to offer but more of the same ... There are fleeting moments, thanks chiefly to a personable performance from Carl Weathers, but the time has surely come for Rocky Balboa to take the final count."[26]

Rocky III was nominated for both the Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Motion Picture at the Image Awards. The film's theme song Eye of the Tiger was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards and the Golden Globes.[27] However, Mr. T was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star.[28]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • "Eye of the Tiger" – Nominated[29]

A sequel titled Rocky IV, was released in November 1985.

A bronze statue of Rocky, called "ROCKY", was commissioned by Sylvester Stallone and created by A. Thomas Schomberg in 1981.[30] Three statues were created, and one was placed on the top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the filming of Rocky III. After filming was complete, a furious debate erupted in Philadelphia between the Art Museum and the City's Art Commission over the meaning of "art". Claiming the statue was not "art" but rather a "movie prop" the city considered various alternative locations and settled upon the front of the Spectrum in South Philadelphia. It was later returned to the Art Museum where it was used in the filming of Rocky V,[31] as well as Mannequin and Philadelphia. Afterward, it was again moved to the front of the Spectrum. The statue was returned to the bottom of the museum's stairs on 8 September 2006.[32] The steps leading to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are also known as “The Rocky Steps.”[33]

A novelization by Robert E. Hoban was published by Ballantine Books in 1982.[34]

A video game based on the film was released on 1983, titled Rocky Super Action Boxing, designed by Coleco and released for ColecoVision. Players can play as either Rocky Balboa or Clubber Lang either against the computer in a one player game, or against each other in a "Head to Head" two player mode. In 1987 was released Rocky, based on the first four Rocky films. In 2002 was released Rocky, based on the first five Rocky films. In 2004 was released Rocky Legends, based on the first four Rocky films.