Poster © MGM Distribution Co.. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreDrama & Sport
RatedPG
Runtime1 hr 42 mins
ReleasedDecember 20, 2006
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorSylvester Stallone
StarringSylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver
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Rocky Balboa (2006)
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| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Rocky Balboa's Details | |
| Genre | Drama & Sport |
| Rated | PG |
| Released | 12/20/2006 |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 42 mins |
| Budget | $24M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Characters by Sylvester Stallone |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Rocky Balboa's Interests | |
| General | Museum steps, old gyms, training montages, restaurant stories, gray sweatsuits, Philly at dawn. |
| Music | Bill Conti. Yes, "Gonna Fly Now" is back. |
| Movies | Creed (2015). Rocky in the corner this time. |
| Television | Old boxing broadcasts. A computer fight on TV started this whole thing. |
| Heroes | Paulie (Burt Young). Grumpy, loyal, forever. |
| Rocky Balboa's Crew | |
| Director | Sylvester Stallone |
| Writers | Sylvester Stallone |
| Producers | Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King |
| Cinematography | Clark Mathis |
| Music | Bill Conti |
| Edited By | Sean Albertson |
| Production | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Chartoff Productions, Winkler Films |
| Distributed By | MGM Distribution Co. |
A computer simulation on a sports show is what drags Rocky back into the ring, the silliest reason anyone ever laced up gloves. Rocky Balboa seems to know it, and wisely treats the fight like a footnote to a story about a widower who can’t stop living in the past. Stallone plays Rocky softer than ever, telling the same old stories at his restaurant and visiting Adrian’s grave with a folding chair. Burt Young’s Paulie is still a grump with a hidden heart. Geraldine Hughes brings real warmth as Marie. Antonio Tarver’s Mason Dixon is a champ with no personality beyond being unpopular, and the son subplot is mostly one big speech. The fight itself is chopped up with jittery flashes that look like a broadcast glitch. It made $155.9 million worldwide on a reported $24M. A 6.8 because the old man’s heart is the whole show, and the fight is just the excuse. $362.52 says you do one push-up on your knuckles tomorrow and then sit on the floor for a while thinking about life.
What works: Stallone’s gentle, grieving Rocky and the quiet South Philly scenes make this the most sincere sequel in years.
What doesn’t: Mason Dixon is barely a character, and the fight’s flashy broadcast-style editing undercuts the big night.
Who it’s for: Anyone who grew up on the series and wants to see Rocky get a proper send-off.
Spoilers
Dixon hurts his hand early, Rocky takes a beating and keeps getting up, and the two go the full distance. Dixon wins on a split decision, but Rocky leaves to a standing ovation, then visits Adrian’s grave, finally at peace.
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is pushing sixty, long retired, and running a little Philadelphia restaurant named after Adrian, where he tells old fight stories to the customers. His son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia) keeps his distance, and Paulie (Burt Young) says Rocky lives in the past. Then a TV computer simulation puts a prime Rocky against the current champ, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver), and gives it to Rocky. Suddenly an exhibition bout is on the table. He also reconnects with Marie (Geraldine Hughes), a neighborhood kid now grown. Stallone also directs. One hundred two minutes, still swinging.
Anyone who thinks they are too old to try. Take the stairs.
Robert "Rocky" Balboa / Directorphoto: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
| Sylvester Stallone | Robert "Rocky" Balboa |
| Burt Young | Paulie Pennino |
| Antonio Tarver | Mason "The Line" Dixon |
| Milo Ventimiglia | Robert Balboa Jr |
| Geraldine Hughes | Marie |
| James Francis Kelly III | Stephenson |
| Tony Burton | Tony "Duke" Evers |
| Henry G. Sanders | Martin |
| Pedro Lovell | Spider Rico |
| Jacob "Stitch" Duran | himself |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $155.9M; Domestic box office $70.3M; Opening weekend $12.2M; Profit / loss (est.) +$42M; Rotten Tomatoes 78%; CinemaScore B+; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 78% (184 reviews); Metacritic 63 / 100; CinemaScore B+; IMDb users 7.1 / 10 (246,369 votes); movie.guru score 6.0.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.