Was any reason ever given for why the movie is titled **Rocky Balboa **and not Rocky VI ?
Because it was something of a reboot rather than a sequel, and for all the brief mentions of the intervening movies and bouts, it followed right on the heels of the first film.
I loved the bit with the turtles. Said it all.
I’m not sure how that’s possible given his age in the movie. It sure seemed like a sequel to me.
They may have thought nobody would go see Rocky VI. So they tried to make it sound like something that wasn’t a sequel.
It was both. It was a sequel that selectively rewrote the history of the intervening four movies (mostly by ignoring their events) and attached itself more directly to the first one. So it’s a sequel to *Rocky *and a slight reboot of the whole series.
I think the intent was to shed some of the trappings of the intervening films. So, in that regard, it was a “reboot” although it wasn’t attempting to rewrite the original story. Reboot-sequel?
They may have worried that “Rocky VI” would make people think of robot butlers and other silly things.
They ran out of “I’s” and “V’s”.
Sometime around the mid to late 90s or so film studios began to think that Roman-numeral clad sequels had become incredibly juvenile & tacky. Also, they started to think that except for the biggest franchises (i.e. Star Wars) it was becoming a hindrance because if you hadn’t seen any of the earlier ones you’d be less inclined to see Part III etc. Not having a number in the title gave the film more of its own identity. Although this just begat the age of the colon (’:’) sequels…
ummm.. I don’t think so.
It’s pretty much a straight sequel, Stallone wanted the movie to be taken more seriuosly and calling it Rocky 6 would have hurt it.
To lessen the chance that there would be a Rocky VII.
It’s the way they’re marketing everything nowadays to trick people into seeing sequels
I can’t wait to see Anthony Stark this year. Wait, they called it Iron Man 3. Never mind. 
Rambo is even more weird. The order goes:
-
First Blood
-
First Blood, Part Two.
-
Rambo III
-
Rambo
In Europe, the fourth one was called John Rambo. So first and last names were a thing with Stallone’s recent sequels.
Makes it easier to pretend the series goes ROCKY - ROCKY II - ROCKY III - ROCKY IV - ROCKY BALBOA.
I’ve given up trying to figure out the order for the latest Batman movies.
I’m still waiting for Oceans 1 through 10
The second movie was actually entitled Rambo: First Blood Part II — which raises the question of whether the third one should have been called Rambo II: First Blood Part III.
Thanks for the correction. I knew Rambo was confusing.
I only remembered that because I’d read Harlan Ellison’s review of it years ago and his typically vitriolic turn of phrase stuck in my mind: "Sporting a title as graceful as a hyena with a shattered spine dragging itself to a watering hole, Rambo: First Blood Part II … " (he didn’t like it.) (Quote can be found in Harlan Ellison’s Watching)
Adrian’s Revenge!
Seriously, I agree with the comments about “being taken more seriously,” and “sequel to the first.” I enjoyed Rocky Balboa as much as I did the first film (which was a lot), and I didn’t think much of the numbered sequels. I probably wouldn’t have gone to see another one (i.e. Rocky VI).
My favourite quote from Rocky Balboa: “It’s not how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit, and still keep moving forward.”