Sylvester Stallone has now had a number one movie in six different decades thanks to his latest release, The Suicide Squad. Stallone made his name with the iconic Rocky film in 1976, which became the highest-grossing film of that year and went onto win Best Picture at the Oscars. Rocky eventually became a franchise spanning multiple decades, and in addition to that, Stallone starred in Rambo, providing the action star with yet another beloved franchise that’s earned him box success over multiple decades. However, in more recent times, Hollywood’s evergreen action star has consistently reinvented himself, as he has launched The Expendables franchise, with The Expendables 4 possibly on the way, and has found his way into superhero projects like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad is James Gunn’s soft reboot of the popular DC franchise, and the story revolves around Task Force X embarking on a dangerous mission to Corto Maltese. Gunn introduces a host of new characters into his Task Force X, one of them being Nanaue, or King Shark, an incredibly deadly yet rather humorous fish voiced by Stallone. In addition to the film earning rave reviews, with many holding out special praise for Stallone’s King Shark, The Suicide Squad also topped the box office in its opening weekend with a $26.5 million total. Although that was lower than the original projection, the number one position has earned Stallone an incredible accolade.
On his Instagram, Stallone shared an article from Deadline, highlighting that with The Suicide Squad topping the box office in 2021, the Hollywood icon has now had a number one film at the box office in six straight decades. Deadline also writes that a total of 20 of the actor's films have hit the number one spot, with The Expendables and The Suicide Squad helping him earn the number one spot in the last two decades. In his Instagram post, Stallone thanked the fans, as well as his The Suicide Squad director, James Gunn. Stallone's full post can be seen below:
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The accomplishment of Stallone cannot be disregarded, especially when one looks at how the 75-year-old has managed to stay in a high profile position, still primarily in his favored action genre. In contrast, many of his fellow action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s have struggled in recent times. Also, having attained this milestone with The Suicide Squad shows Stallone’s range and ability to adapt. He has had low points in his career, but like his Rocky character, he’s found a way to rise again, and this accomplishment is a testament to that fact.
Stallone is showing no signs of slowing down, as his next superhero tale Samaritan, where the action star plays a long-lost superhero, will release next year. Although he’s seemingly done playing Rocky Balboa in Creed, he has teased a possible Rocky prequel TV series and will release his director’s cut of Rocky IV this November. Plus, with more The Suicide Squad characters possibly getting spin-off TV shows, and considering how popular King Shark has been with audiences, Sly may have found a character he can return to. However, for now, fans can appreciate the Rocky star’s incredible achievement with The Suicide Squad.
Source: Sylvester Stallone, Deadline