Sylvester Stallone has been keeping himself busy during the pandemic, lending his vocal talents to The Suicide Squad‘s instant cult hero King Shark, wrapping up shooting on gritty superhero thriller Samaritan and bowing out as Barney Ross in The Expendables 4, but next up for the action icon is the hotly-anticipated Rocky IV redux.
Officially titled Rocky v. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut, the new version of the 1985 classic will be 40 minutes longer than the theatrical edition, which hopefully means more montages and glorious, glorious cheese, even though Paulie’s robot butler SICO has been left on the sidelines.
The movie is coming to theaters on November 11, and it’s already setting records for a special event release. As per Deadline, Rocky v. Drago‘s pre-sale tickets are tracking 120% ahead of anything else put out by distributor Fathom throughout the pandemic, so there’s clearly an appetite from both old and new fans to see what’s arguably the Italian Stallion’s finest hour in theaters.
Rocky IV might not be the best film starring the title character, but it’s easily the most entertaining. 36 years after earning $300 million at the box office, it could be set for another stellar showing when the cinematic icon makes what could be his final bow at the multiplex when you remember that Stallone won’t be part of Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut Creed III.