Though he’s played some of the toughest characters in all of cinema, Sylvester Stallone has been known to be pretty sentimental at times. This truly becomes apparent whenever he discusses his love for the Rocky franchise. The 75-year-old actor rarely misses an opportunity to shout out the iconic boxing movies, which is especially the case when it comes to special occasions. And just recently, Rocky III marked its 40th anniversary, and Stallone celebrated the milestone in a sweet way.
The threequel is definitely one of the most memorable installments in the storied franchise and definitely deserved some love when it turned 40. Sylvester Stallone paid tribute on his Instagram by sharing a few pics and a caption, which he used to thank the fans for their continued support:
Today is the 40th anniversary of this Film ! I will always be indebted to the LOYAL fans for taking ROCKY into their hearts!!! Never stop Punching !!!
In the movie, Rocky Balboa faces off with the intimidating Clubber Lang (played by the commanding Mr. T). The athlete ultimately loses to Lang and later teams up with former opponent Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) to develop a fighting style that can usurp the arrogant Clubber. The final fight between Balboa and Lang is a sight to behold, and you can get a taste of it by checking out the slideshow the actor shared in his post. There are also some cool throwback snapshots of ads for the flick:
This isn’t the first time that Sylvester Stallone has posted about the 1982 flick as, in the past, he’s shared some cool behind-the-scenes tidbits. And funny enough, both involve Hulk Hogan, who appeared in the film as wild wrestler Thunderlips. In the movie, he and Balboa squared off in a fundraising boxer vs. wrestling match, which went off the rails pretty quickly. Stallone once reflected on the faux fight and praised Hogan as a “great athlete.” Sometime later, he also shared another photo that’ll make you look at the fight differently.
It’s hard not to love just how nostalgic the actor gets when it comes to these movies and, last year, that passion arguably encouraged him to release a director’s cut of Rocky IV. The movie made a pretty penny upon release, prompting the leading man to thank the fans. The third installment is a pretty tight movie, though one has to wonder if Sylvester Stallone would consider releasing an extended cut at some point in the future.
The passionate fanbase would surely relish the opportunity to see an alternate version of Rocky III, if the response to the recently released director’s cut is any indication. And if such a thing doesn’t happen, then they’ll more than likely continue to enjoy the film as is, ensuring that its legacy continues to thrive for decades to come. You can currently check out the movie for yourself by streaming it on the Roku Channel.