The Rocky franchise is one of the most celebrated in Hollywood history, helping make superstars out of Sylvester Stallone and, more recently, Michael B. Jordan. After the great run of the original Rocky movies, the series has been a hit with modern audiences with the Creed franchise, which teamed up Stallone with the young, rising star in Jordan.

The original film was an underdog triumph, much like the story of the movie itself, with Rocky winning the award for Best Picture at the 1977 Academy Awards. Since that movie was released, the overall Rocky franchise and Creed films have combined for over $1.7 billion at the box office. Not bad for a series that started with a movie that was made on a $1 million budget and a fairly unproven star in Stallone.

Over the years, the boxer Rocky Balboa has taken on all types of opponents, from Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Clubber Lang (Mr. T), to the fearsome Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Sometimes Rocky wins, sometimes Rocky loses, but at the end of the day, Stallone’s portrayal always keeps Balboa with his pride and respect, as he always gives everything he has in the ring. That mindset has made the Rocky franchise stand the test of time, and why fans were excited to see Stallone’s Rocky train Jordan’s Adonis Creed in the new films.

The Rocky series has entered popular culture for its fantastic training montages, and Stallone’s physique in each movie has become something fans train to get even today. Muscle & Fitness has helped that along with Stallone’s full arm workout routine, which you can find here.

With so many great fights, moments, and characters throughout the series, it can be hard to decide which one is the “best.” But don’t worry, we’ve done the hard part for you and looked over all the movies in the franchise to come up with a definitive list.

Here’s a look at our ranking from worst to best of the films in the Rocky movie franchise.

Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan's 'Creed' workout

This routine earned the actor the body of a Greek god.

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