{
  "id": 19365813,
  "title": "‘I Play Rocky’ writer says rival studios balked at ‘advertising another studio’s franchise’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/i-play-rocky-writer-says-rival-studios-balked-at-advertising-another",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-10T16:55:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/11/10/i-play-rocky-amazon-mgm-stallone-franchise-50/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fifty years ago, Sylvester Stallone portrayed the iconic character of Rocky Balboa for the first time. Anthony Ippolito currently stars in I Play Rocky, a film about the creation of the original movie that initially lacked the backing of the franchise's owning studio. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the movie chronicles Stallone's journey to write and star in Rocky. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, coming in second place for the People's Choice Award. It marks the first Rocky film to be produced entirely under Amazon's ownership, providing the studio with a fresh means to introduce the beloved franchise to a new audience. Screenwriter Peter Gamble attributes the reluctance of rival studios to invest in the project to their concern that it would essentially \"advertise another studio’s franchise.\" Rocky, released in November 1976, earned 10 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture. It grossed around $117 million domestically. Alongside The Godfather, Jaws, and Star Wars, the film is frequently credited with launching Hollywood's era of blockbuster movies. Five sequels followed between 1979 and 2006, followed by the Creed spinoff trilogy, as well as merchandise ranging from action figures to mobile games. With a combined gross of approximately $948 million domestically and $1.9 billion worldwide, Rocky has remained relevant across generations, grossing $1.9 billion globally. This library is a key asset that Amazon acquired when it purchased MGM for $8.45 billion in 2022, with MGM now under Amazon MGM Studios. The franchise has already proven profitable for its new owner, with Creed III grossing $58.7 million in March 2023, holding the record for Amazon’s best opening since the MGM acquisition. However, I Play Rocky was developed independently, prior to the MGM deal, as a spec script. While it is technically possible to tell the story without Rocky's rights, incorporating specific elements like Bill Conti's theme \"Gonna Fly Now\" would have been challenging and costly without MGM's permission. Distributing a film about the origins of a studio's franchise posed similar challenges, as studios were hesitant to invest due to the perceived risk of advertising another studio's intellectual property. Amazon MGM Studios agreed to distribute the film in 2025, allowing I Play Rocky to incorporate elements from the original franchise. The film has shown promising early results, opening on seven screens in November and earning about $345,000 per screen. With nearly two decades having passed since the last Rocky film and eleven since Creed, the movie's timely release is positioned to introduce a new generation of fans to the enduring legacy of Rocky.",
  "summary": "Fifty years after Rocky, a Stallone biopic that started as an indie spec script gives Amazon MGM a fresh way to sell a $1.9 billion franchise.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}