FAQ

After being declared the loser in his 15-round fight with world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) decides to retire from fighting, marry his girlfriend Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire), and spend his earnings on some luxury items such as watches, clothes, a car, and a house. Embarrassed by Rocky's ability to go the distance, however, Creed demands a rematch in order to prove that the first fight was simply a fluke in Rocky's favor.

Rocky II is the sequel to Rocky (1976), which was based on a screenplay written by title character actor Sylvester Stallone. Stallone also wrote the screenplay for Rocky II, which was followed by Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), and Rocky Balboa (2006). Rocky, however, was novelized in 1976 by Rosalyn Drexler (writing under the name Julia Sorel), based on Stallone's screenplay. Later, to coincide with the releases of the sequels, Stallone himself would novelize Rocky II and Rocky IV. Rocky III was novelized by Robert E. Hoban.

Although the film was released in 1979, three years after the release of Rocky, the rematch takes place only 10 months after the first fight with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Specifically the fight takes place on Thanksgiving 1976. In 1976, Thanksgiving fell on November 25, so the film runs from January 1 to November 25, of that year.

Rocky (1976): November 25, 1975 – January 1, 1976

Rocky II (1979): January 1, 1976 – November 25, 1976

Rocky was 30 in Rocky, and he's 31 in Rocky II as evidenced when he's walking out to the ring to fight Creed. The announcer says, "31 years of age."

As Rocky tells Gazzo (Joe Spinell) at the wedding, he made $37,000 after taxes, although in the first film, it was mentioned in the press conference that he was set to make $150,000.

$300,000 over the course of the first fiscal year.

Remember when we was on ice skates, And I thought you were supposed to be great, But I kept giving you lip, And you kept trying to slip, So I could catch you. That was our first date, And after that, every day was great. So now I want you to know, That wherever you go, Atlantic City or in the snow, Don't worry about a thing, Cause as long as I got this ring, I'll always be there to catch you.

Rocky and Apollo make it into round 15 still standing, although Rocky is getting the worst of it, having switched from southpaw punching to right-handed punches, and Creed has managed to break Rocky's nose again. Apollo's trainer advises him to just stay away from Rocky in the last round, because he can win the fight based on points, but Apollo disregards the advice as he wants a knockout. Mickey (Burgess Meredith) wants to stop the fight to keep Rocky from being killed, but Rocky refuses. Mickey advises him to start using his left hand, but Rocky says that ahe isn't going to rely on tricks. This is going to be a straight out fight to the finish. As round 15 begins and Rocky starts using his left hand again, Creed begins to take the brunt of Rocky's hammering. Suddenly, Rocky manages to land a devastating left blow to Creed's head, sending Creed tumbling to the floor. Out of sheer exhaustion, Rocky goes down, too. As the referee begins the count, both Creed and Rocky attempt to pull themselves up by the ropes, but Creed falls back, leaving Rocky standing as the referee reaches 10. Rocky is named the new heavyweight champion of the world. As he gets his strength back, he thanks Apollo Creed for the match, he thanks Mickey for his training, and he thanks God. In the final scene, he lifts the champion belt over his head and calls out to Adrian, who's watching the match at home, 'Yo, Adrian, I did it!'

Apart from a remastered 5.1 DTS soundtrack, neither the R1 US DVD, released by MGM Home Entertainment in 2005, nor the R2 UK DVD released by MGM Home Entertainment (UK) in 2005 contain any special features. It is also available in the R1 US Rocky: The Complete Saga and the R2 UK Rocky: The Heavyweight Collection.

Yes it is. It is as an individual release in both Region 1 (US) and Region 2 (UK). It is also available in a newly remastered Heavyweight Collection boxset released in 2014 in both a US edition and a UK edition. None of the editions carry any special features.