Rocky 4K UHD Boxed set - 2/28/23

[steve_dave]

There is no guarantee that Amazon will put all of MGM on Prime, maybe the Rocky franchise, maybe just Rocky. Amazon has listed most of MGM’s newest films on Prime except Licorice Pizza and Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago - The Ultimate Director’s Cut.

And for those ascared of losing physical media, Stallone specifically said Warner who is MGM’s physical distribution channel. MGM handles digital sell through distribution themselves.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Er, because he starred in them all and directed three of them and they want him involved... and it's polite.

Movies get released all the time without the actor or directors approval or the writers approval.

[Ryan1973]

Originally Posted by Spearmint701

You might be right. I just think marketing wise, they will probably release the set to coincide with the films release, but could be wrong!

My guess is they will release the Rocky box set first and then do a Creed box set once Creed III is released on disc.

[Ryan1973]

Originally Posted by Hardback247

This set is to tie in with the release of Creed III, right?

I don't believe so. I don't think one has to do with the other.

[Spearmint701]

Originally Posted by Jar Jar Stinks

I'm in the right forum. You call people cheap because they don't want to spend +$100 on the boxset. I prefer to call them smart. If someone pays for Prime, I think they'd appreciate knowing the films are available in 4K there.

I suspect there's a percentage of people here that might want to own just a UHD disc of the original film and stream the others.

But thanks for the snark.

Or there's people here who want the whole series on 4K discs, like myself, and yes I do pay for Prime.

[GRSN]

Also, it's not a given that everything from MGM appears on Prime Video,
at least not completely, over here in The Netherlands,
most of MGM library is behind a pay wall (a channel you have to pay for) on Prime Video.

[IndyMLVC]

Slightly off topic...



Someone's not happy...

[DR Herbert West]

Guess we're not getting Rocky XVIII.

[Tuc0]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Slightly off topic...



Someone's not happy...

I see he updated instagram to even more ballistic post

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by Tuc0

I see he updated instagram to even more ballistic post

Yeah. He's unhinged. It's not a good look.

[BNex99]

They'd better hurry up and get this UHD set out before Stallone torpedoes his legacy with this ownership fight.

I'm not completely out of sympathy with his position on the rights to the franchise, but good grief, is he being petty right now.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

Guess we're not getting Rocky XVIII.

Or Rocky XXXVIII.

[Camellott89]

I side with Stallone on the ongoing issues of rights… if they bring him back into the fold I’ll re purchase… if not, I’ll happily watch the blus I have

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by Camellott89

I side with Stallone on the ongoing issues of rights… if they bring him back into the fold I’ll re purchase… if not, I’ll happily watch the blus I have

He is working on the 4K set for Warner to distribute for MGM.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Camellott89

I side with Stallone on the ongoing issues of rights… if they bring him back into the fold I’ll re purchase… if not, I’ll happily watch the blus I have

I don't know the whole situation, but I think it's primarily about ownership of the franchise. I'm sure Stallone's been getting royalties all this time and will continue to.

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by BNex99

I don't know the whole situation, but I think it's primarily about ownership of the franchise. I'm sure Stallone's been getting royalties all this time and will continue to.

He doesn’t get paid royalties thanks to his poor business sense with the franchise:

Despite inventing the character and story, Stallone was left with zero ownership of the franchise. Adding insult to injury, Stallone also never saw any of the profits from the many different franchise licenses and merchandise sales.

Furthermore, with a zero-ownership percentage, Stallone doesn’t receive any annuities from the franchise, sharing “[t]his is a painful subject [t]hat eats at my soul, because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children,” (via Instagram). This reinforces his statement from 2019, where he shared he doesn’t even have 1% ownership to leave his children after he passes (via Variety).

https://screenrant.com/rocky-movie-r...ownership/amp/

He only was paid for his roles as star and director/producer/writer. For the first few sequels he also got first dollar gross.

Over the years he has amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune off the eight-picture “Rocky” series that includes the “Creed” and “Creed II” spinoffs. He earned net points on the original movie — which cost just over $1 million to produce and grossed $225 million globally — and received first-dollar gross on the early sequels.

https://variety.com/2019/film/featur...ke-1203275639/

He earns nothing from re-releases unless it was another Rocky IV situation where he recut it as a new film. He also does not get a cut of home video or merchandise sales.

So why is he working on these for 4K? Because he has to oversee the transfers for the films he directed and participate in new extras. Also, they are his films despite him never holding the copyright to the character and/or franchise.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

He doesn’t get paid royalties thanks to his poor business sense with the franchise:
......

He only was paid for his roles as star and director/producer/writer. For the first few sequels he also got first dollar gross.
.

Surely he gets standard SAG, DGA, and WGA residuals, though?

(Also, Screen Rant is essentially the Daily Mail of entertainment news. It's always wise to take their "reporting" with a grain of salt.)

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by BNex99

Surely he gets standard SAG, DGA, and WGA residuals, though?

(Also, Screen Rant is essentially the Daily Mail of entertainment news. It's always wise to take their "reporting" with a grain of salt.)

Hence me quoting the article from Variety that they sourced from.

And he wouldn’t get those residuals if he didn’t include it in his contracts. It is not an automatic guarantee and is part of the negotiation. Eddie Murphy was paid 8 million for Coming to America and 15% of the film’s rental profits. Murphy also negotiated for gross profit sharing but:

Although Paramount receives 35% of the film rentals as a distribution fee, that amount--as much as $50 million--is not considered income for the film itself and is not shared with profit participants.

Source: 1990 article detailing how after huge success in VHS rentals and box office ticket sales, the movie made no profit:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...537-story.html

After Murphy’s salary, his take in rental profits up to February 1990, and $5,000 a week for living expense during production; Murphy earned around $13 million for Coming to America. He has made more as the film continued to rent theoughout the 1990s.

Many people mistakenly assume making a movie or TV show can set you up for life but unless that person has the foresight to see what the studio or production company will do, you are not going to constantly be making money on that project.

[Geoff D]

I think the point is that although Stallone created the characters and wrote the screenplay he was just a jobbing actor at the time so the producer basically nabbed all the rights and said “tough shit, if you want the movie made these are my terms”. As with Star Wars there was no inkling whatsoever that the film would become the multi-generational franchise it did, though in that situation it was something of a reversal of Sly’s fortune as it was Lucas’ shrewd business sense that ensured him all that cheddar.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I think the point is that although Stallone created the characters and wrote the screenplay he was just a jobbing actor at the time so the producer basically nabbed all the rights and said “tough shit, if you want the movie made these are my terms”.

Yeah, and I am lost as to how Winkler is a villain for making that deal. Stallone already brokered the whole "starring in the movie" thing that made his career. I never feel too sorry for actors/creators who are desperate for work, make a deal, then become "victims" when that deal benefits a studio/producer more than it benefts them. If I create something revoutionary while working for my current employer, I sure won't own it.

I really don't get it - you'd think Winkler stole something from Stallone instead of Stallone voluntarily handing rights over. Now it's up to Winkler to help support Stallone's kids?

But, I love Stallone and he knows more about it than I do, so more power to him.