I Play Rocky Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Knocks Out Sylvester Stallone’s Beloved Franchise

Published Nov 10, 2026, 10:56 AM EST Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. I Play Rocky is officially a champion. Fifty years ago, Sylvester Stallone brought to life and starred in Hollywood's greatest underdog story, Rocky, which won over audiences' hearts. After it won Best Picture, the story spawned a franchise consisting of five sequels and three Creed movies. Now, Stallone becomes the hero of his own story with I Play Rocky, illustrating a familiar dark horse tale that inspired one of the greatest sports classics. Directed by Peter Farrelly, I Play Rocky drew positive reviews after its premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Since then, the reception has only grown, with an incredible 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, the new Rocky biopic is slowly making its way to theaters and general audiences, and it's recapturing the exhilaration. With over 100 ratings, I Play Rocky debuts with a near-perfect 97% audience score, blowing out Stallone's entire franchise. The highest-rated Rocky movie was Creed III, with 95%. Every Rocky Movie & Sylvester Stallone Documentary Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Rocky (1976) 93% 69% Rocky II (1979) 68% 82% Rocky III (1982) 66% 74% Rocky IV (1985) 38% 82% Rocky V (1990) 31% 31% Rocky Balboa (2006) 78% 77% Creed (2015) 95% 89% Creed II (2018) 83% 81% Creed III (2023) 89% 95% Sly (2023) 81% 83% I Play Rocky (2026) 88% 97% Critics have overwhelmingly praised I Play Rocky for echoing a familiar underdog story, in which Stallone's real-life struggles as an actor inspired his 1976 classic. The biopic is also a crowd-pleaser, digging into the nostalgia of Stallone's breakout thanks to an incredible performance from Anthony Ippolito. The rising star was lauded for nailing down Stallone's mannerisms and transformation. Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order. Although the iconic action star was mostly hands-off, he consulted with the young actor who would end up playing him. Stallone also recently praised Ippolito's portrayal, telling CBS Morning: "It was very surreal because at first I was gonna be hypercritical, like that's me. I don't walk like that. But I did walk like that. I did talk like that. I'm realizing this guy did a magnificent job, and I actually forgot I was me, and I sat back and watched the movie like the audience." Since the festival premiere and slow theatrical rollout, the response to I Play Rocky has only improved as award season begins. The biopic has already won a few awards, including a runner-up for TIFF's People's Choice Award, and Ippolito won the Breakthrough Award at SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Now, it appears that I Play Rocky may become its own dark horse leading into award season, including a potential Best Actor nomination for Ippolito. It's also expected that rthe Rocky biopic will continue to be a crowd-pleaser when it expands to a wide release. During its limited run, the movie grossed $44,984 on just seven screens. That number is estimated to rise just ahead of Thanksgiving weekend. Peter Gamble wrote I Play Rocky, while the supporting cast features AnnaSophia Robb, Stephen James, Toby Kebbell, P. J. Byrne, Jay Duplass, and Matt Dillon. I Play Rocky is now playing in limited theaters. The biopic will go wide starting November 20. Release Date November 20, 2026 Runtime 127 minutes Director Peter Farrelly Writers Peter Gamble Producers Toby Emmerich, Michele Weiss, Peter Farrelly, Christian Baha Cast Anthony Ippolito Sylvester Stallone