Sylvester Stallone had to fight, onscreen and off, to make the Rocky series the beloved classics they are today. As we found out from a recent Flicks experiment, chugging eggs and running a bunch hurts, even without having to pawn your beloved pet dog for cash and battle Hollywood execs in order to star in the greatest underdog Oscar Best Picture win of all time.
Unfortunately for us Kiwi viewers with such fond memories of each of Rocky Balboa’s stirring matches, it’s not so easy to cheer him on today via any streaming platforms. Every film in the Rocky franchise is only available to rent or buy via Google Play or Apple TV, with just the recent Creed films streaming on Prime Video for NZ subscribers.
If you’re keen to throw on a robe and binge the original Rocky, and the increasingly outlandish sequels Rocky II (the one where Rocky blows all his dosh and wins), III (the one with Mr T), IV (the one where Rocky tears down the Iron Curtain) and V (the one where he first takes to training), you will have to individually buy or rent each title through either on demand service.
Even 2006’s bitter comeback Rocky Balboa, in which Stallone creakingly gets back into his routine to fight the current champ, is not streaming in the included catalogue of any major streaming services, only watchable on demand.
Thankfully the contemporary sequels Creed and Creed II are available to stream as part of Prime Video’s included catalogue. Ryan Coogler’s celebrated new franchise follows the son of Apollo Creed (Michael B. Jordan) as he comes to Stallone’s ailing Rocky for guidance.
So you’ll have to fork out a fee for each of the OG films, but can watch his young gun mentee for free provided you’ve got an Amazon subscription. Them’s the breaks, we suppose: streaming services seem to think the Italian Stallion is over-the-hill.
