I Play Rocky opens November 6 with 88% Rotten Tomatoes score

I Play Rocky, a drama about how Sylvester Stallone fought to write, star in and get the original Rocky made, opens in select cinemas in the United States on Friday, 6 November 2026, with a wider release later in November, according to Amazon MGM Studios. The film is directed by Peter Farrelly, with Anthony Ippolito playing the young Stallone. It arrives 50 years after Rocky was released in 1976. Ahead of the opening, the film held a score of 88% on the review site Rotten Tomatoes from 66 reviews, with critics widely praising Ippolito's performance, though some found the film too eager to please.

Rocky is one of the best-known underdog stories in film, and the story of how it was made is an underdog story too. According to the film's makers, it follows Stallone's fight to write the script, play the lead himself and get the film financed on a small budget. I Play Rocky dramatises that fight, which is why its title is a statement as much as a name.

The film is also a test for Amazon MGM Studios, which is releasing it in the anniversary year. A film about the making of the original celebrates a famous title at the same time as it tells a new story.

Critics have been mostly positive. Reviewers from JoBlo and IndieWire praised Ippolito, with IndieWire calling the film a crowd-pleaser while noting that it does not fully explore the real pain behind Rocky's making. Slant Magazine was harsher, calling Ippolito's turn little more than a party trick. Other dissenting critics have said the second half feels like fan service. The pattern is common for biopics about beloved films: audiences who love the original tend to enjoy them, while some critics want more depth.

For Indian audiences, the reports did not give an Indian release date, in cinemas or on streaming.

Peepals calculation: The film's Rotten Tomatoes score has risen as reviews have come in, from 80% of 35 reviews (about 28 positive) to 85% of 53 (about 45 positive) to 88% of 66 (about 58 positive). That means about 30 of the 31 reviews added since September were positive (58 − 28 = 30). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: The limited opening on 6 November will show whether strong reviews translate into audiences before the film's wider release later in the month.

Long-term: A success would encourage studios to make more films about how classic films were made, and would raise Ippolito's profile as a lead actor.

Who is affected: Fans of Rocky and Sylvester Stallone, cinema-goers in the United States, Amazon MGM Studios, and the film's cast and crew.

What to watch next: The film's wider release later in November and any announcement of release dates outside the United States.

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