CrownGrading Pro
Ready to grade your cards? Submit Cards →
Crown Grading

National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000000323 Tap to enlarge
MOVIERocky III
SCENEMickey Goldmill & Rocky
FILM FORMAT35MM
YEAR1982
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000000323
Film Record Public record
Directed by
Sylvester Stallone
Studio
United Artists · 99 min
Box office
$270M worldwide on a $17M budget
Honors
Golden Raspberry Award — 1 nomination
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.

FILM NOTES

Rocky III arrived from United Artists in 1982, the third chapter in Sylvester Stallone's boxing saga and the one that cemented the franchise as a cultural phenomenon rather than a scrappy underdog story. With Mr. T's Clubber Lang and the anthem "Eye of the Tiger" driving its momentum, the film pushed Rocky Balboa into the realm of mainstream spectacle while still leaning on the relationships that gave the series its heart. It was a commercial juggernaut, further establishing Stallone as both star and auteur of the property.

This cell pairs Rocky Balboa with his trainer and father figure Mickey Goldmill, played by Burgess Meredith, a bond that anchors the emotional core of the entire series. Mickey represents old school toughness and hard won wisdom, and collectors seek out his scenes for the mentorship dynamic that defines Rocky's arc. A cell capturing this pairing preserves a piece of that relationship on film, a physical artifact from the actual theatrical print rather than a reproduction or promotional still.

This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000059633