As of this writing, Stallone’s films have grossed more than $4 billion worldwide. Sylvester has written, produced, and/or directed most of his major franchise films, unlike most Hollywood performers.
Sylvester Stallone Salary Highlights
Stallone had many studios interested in his concept after creating the screenplay for Rocky in just three days. A star vehicle for Robert Redford or James Caan was a top priority for United Artists. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff had to be persuaded to let him star in the picture. He agreed to work on the movie for a pittance of $23,000. In today’s money, that would be about $110,000. On a $1 million budget, the film went on to gross $225 million worldwide.
He got $3.5 million for “First Blood” in 1982. After that, in the year of inflation, he made $25 million, earning his first Producer credit for the movie “Staying Alive”. For the 1984 film “Rhinestone,” he made $4 million and received his second Producer credit. It wasn’t long until he made $12 million for Rocky IV and another $12 million for “Over the Top” in 2014. He got $16 million for Rambo III. Each of the following films brought Sylvester $15 or $16 million:
- Lock Up
- Tango & Cash
- Rocky V
- Oscar
- Demolition Man
- Judge Dredd
- Assassins
- The Specialist
- The Expendables I
- The Expendables II
At the box office, “Daylight,” “Driven,” and “Eye See You” brought in a combined $17.5 million. Sylvester Stallone earned $300 million in base film salaries alone between the 1970s and 2012. In today’s values, his earnings from this time period alone are equivalent to about $500 million.
Sylvester Stallone Early Life
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, the son of Italian immigrants. Francesco “Frank” Stallone Sr., a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone, an astrologer and dancer, are the parents of the oldest Stallone son. As an actor and singer, his younger brother Frank Stallone has had a successful career. While pregnant, Sylvester’s face was paralysed from the lower left side down, resulting in his now-iconic “snarling” expression and somewhat slurred words. Because of the tumultuous relationship between his parents as a child, Sylvester Stallone spent time in foster care. Later on, the couple decided to call it quits. Prior to attending the University of Miami, Stallone studied acting at the American College in Switzerland. To pursue a career in acting, he dropped out of school and relocated to New York.
Sylvester Stallone Career
When he was evicted from his residence, Stallone decided to star in “The Party at Kitty,” an adult film that he says he made out of desperation. For his two days of work, he received $200. In 1971, he had an uncredited role in Woody Allen’s Bananas, which was one of his earliest cinematic roles. After seeing Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner in 1975, he was inspired to write a script about an underdog gangster with dreams of making it as a professional boxer. A rumour has it that Stallone wouldn’t sell the script unless he was the star. As long as he didn’t find two producers who were willing to let him play Rocky Balboa, he held out.
“Rocky” was released in 1976. When Stallone was cast in the lead role, he immediately became a household name around the world. Ten Academy Award nominations, $117 million in ticket sales, and critical acclaim later, the film was a box-office and critical success. All the President’s Men, Network, and Taxi Driver were all in the running for Best Picture, but Rocky won the award. For Best Directing and Editing, it also won a trophy. There were two more sequels in the 1980s, and Stallone continued to experience box office success with Rocky II and Rocky III.
Stallone’s performance as John Rambo in 1982’s “Rambo: First Blood” was another critical and commercial success for the actor. Three sequels were made following the initial film. Rocky and Rambo both required him to follow a rigorous training regimen that included two exercises a day, six days a week, and even more exercise in the evenings. For the third Rocky film, he achieved a fat-free body mass index (BMI) of 2.8%.
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When Stallone starred in the box office debacle “Over the Top” in 1987, he began to see a drop in his popularity. He released Rocky V in the 1990s, which was a box office failure. In the early 1990s, he attempted to make comedic films, but was met with critical and commercial failures in the form of Oscar and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! “Cliffhanger” and “Daylight” were two of Stallone’s most successful films in the early 1990s, but by the turn of the millennium he had a streak of box office and critical failures.
After a three-year break, Stallone returned in 2006 with the sixth Rocky film. Rocky Balboa, which cost $24 million to produce and earned $155.7 million worldwide, was written, directed by, and starred in by Rocky Balboa. In “Rambo,” the fourth film in the Rambo franchise, he resumed his role as Rambo. ‘The Expendables’ debuted at No. 1 in the box office on its opening weekend in 2010, and he wrote, directed, and starred in it. 2012 saw the release of a follow-up to the original, which received similarly good reviews and topped the box office once again.
A spin-off film, Creed, was released by Stallone in 2015 to complete the Rocky franchise. The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, centres on Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed’s opponent Rocky Balboa. He was widely praised and garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film. As with its predecessor, Creed II drew rave reviews and a healthy $35.3 million in its first weekend of release in 2018. Released on September 20, 2019, Rambo 5 raked in $91 million at the worldwide box office.
Sylvester Stallone Other ventures
With Braden Aftergood, Sylvester launched Balboa Productions in March 2018, a film production company. It has a long list of upcoming projects, including Creed II, Rambo V, and The Expendables 4. For many films, Stallone has performed on the soundtracks. Rocky I’s “Gonna Fly Now” and Rocky IV’s “Take Me Back” were both written and performed by him. His film “Rhinestone” in 1984 had him singing duets with Dolly Parton. Tiger Eye Productions is the name of his boxing promotion company.
Sylvester Stallone Personal Life
Images from the next Adventure of the #EXPENDABLES pic.twitter.com/zRDt6qGafc
— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) February 3, 2020
In 1974, Stallone tied the knot with Sasha Czack. Sage Moonblood, who died at the age of 36 from heart illness, and Seargeoh were their sons. In 1985, Czack and Stallone divorced. Stallone was married to Brigitte Nielson from 1985-1997. The couple has three daughters: Sophie, Sistine, and Scarlet. In 1997, he married Jennifer Flavin.