RAMBO & ROCKY SAY FAREWELL, BUT SLY LANDS TWO NEW MOVIES
Superstar Sylvester Stallone landed a whopping $18.2 million box-office haul for his new Rambo movie this weekend after its world premiere at the Planet Hollywood resort casino here.
He landed in 2nd place just a few dollars behind Meet the Spartans—but even though Sly has made no secret that, at 63-years-of age, this would be his last and final Rambo alongside his last and final Rocky, he’s still not calling it quits! And he shared the news with pals at the premiere that he’s just signed for two new films!
(CLICK HERE for our exclusive Luxe Life interview last Thursday with Stallone as he talked about the new film)
California’s Governor and onetime Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his children were among the world-premiere guests along with all the movie’s stars, including Julie Benz and Graham McTavish.
Sly and his gorgeous wife, Jennifer Flavin brought their three daughters to the red-carpet affair. Other celebrity guests included Jason Biggs, Michael C. Hall, Jenna Jameson and boyfriend Tito Ortiz and UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Planet Hollywood head honchos Robert Earl, Doug Teitlebaum and president Mike Mecca hosted the 100-yard red-carpet event filled with reporters and photographers from all over the world—and fans five deep at some points!
Stallone earlier signed autographs and took photos with shoppers at the resort’s Miracle Mile Shops—and while first-nighters watched the movie, hotel owner Robert Earl took Stallone and Schwarzenegger to dinner at the new Strip House steak restaurant!
I chatted with Sly before the movie and again at the after-party in the resort’s new Prive nightclub.
“This Rambo has already begun with controversy,” he told me. “Some say it’s too bloodthirsty and too violent. But I couldn’t dilute it just because some people dislike violence. We filmed this right up against today’s headlines of the killings and slaughter of innocent people being carried out by a brutal dictatorship in Burma. I had to show it the way it is—and quite frankly it was hell to make this movie right there on the border. We could easily have been killed any day.”
I asked him if there were similarities from his own life in that of the reclusive almost lonely John Rambo character. “Yes,” admitted Sly without hesitation, “He’s misunderstood by a lot of people but soldiers on. That’s the story of my life too. He’s estranged and fighting against the system—and that’s what I had to do in Hollywood. I think both Rambo and I tap into a lot of people who share those feelings as they go through life. I wanted that in the movie because that’s the real me, too. But I like the fact that Rambo came full circle at the end of the movie, as we started out four films ago. He came back from the dark side and his wandering days are over—same for me. In a sense it’s bittersweet because we have had such an incredible success with the Rambo franchise (over $1-billion earned at the box-office worldwide) and yet this must now end. His story is over. This was the travels of Ulysees, it’s 40-0 Kalzacki against Hopper—but this is the conclusion! No more Rambo, and we also wrapped Rocky. It’s my time at my age to end those the right way, and I’m pleased we were able to bring about their successful conclusions while I was still alive. But even though they’ve hung up the boxing gloves and put away the machine guns, I’ve still got some good years to make a couple more great films.”