‘Rocky IV’ Director’s Cut Hitting Theaters for One Night Only
Rocky IV fans, you’re in luck: Sylvester Stallone's director's cut of his 1985 epic sports drama, titled Rocky vs. Drago, will hit theaters for one night only on Nov. 11.
The Rocky IV director's cut will include 40 more minutes of never-before-seen footage, promising more intense fight scenes and heightened drama as Stallone's titular Rocky Balboa travels to the Soviet Union to defend his heavyweight title against the superhumanly powerful Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
In addition to the limited theatrical engagement, select theaters will also broadcast an exclusive Q&A with Stallone and give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Rocky vs. Drago. The director's cut will be available on digital services on Nov. 12.
Ticketing and location information can be found on Fathom Events' website, and you can watch the Rocky vs. Drago trailer below.
Released on Nov. 21, 1985, Rocky IV became the most extravagant entry in the boxing franchise to date, featuring an iconic (if somewhat ridiculous) training montage set to the tune of John Cafferty's "Hearts on Fire" that showed Stallone trekking across the Russian tundra with logs on his back while Lundgren trained in a state-of-the-art facility and injected steroids. The film was panned by critics but became a box office smash, grossing $300 million worldwide, a peak for the franchise.
Stallone first teased the Rocky IV director's cut in June 2020 while promoting an extended cut of Rambo: Last Blood on Instagram. When a fan asked an extended cut of Rocky Balboa was in the works, Stallone replied, “I am not doing that, but I am doing a directors cut on Rocky IV which will be amazing!”