Description Rocky 1976 Vintage Lobby Card #1 measures 10×14″ inches / 28 x 35 cm Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector, gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers). Director John G. Avildsen Writers Sylvester Stallone Stars Sylvester Stallone Talia Shire Burt Young Carl Weathers Burgess Meredith Rocky had its premiere in New York City on November 20, 1976, and was released in the United States on December 3, 1976. Rocky became the highest-grossing film of 1976, earning approximately $225 million worldwide. The film received critical acclaim toward Stallone’s writing, performance, the story, as well as the film’s direction, music score, cinematography and editing; among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture. It has been ranked by numerous publications as one of the greatest films of all time, as well as one of the most iconic sports films ever. Rocky and its theme song have become a pop-cultural phenomenon and an important part of 1970s American popular culture. In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. The first sequel in the series, Rocky II, was released in 1979.
