Rocky Movie Location Guide: Where the Original Was Filmed
Before Rocky became a Hollywood icon, it was just a gritty underdog movie with a tiny budget and a whole lot of hustle. When fans search for the Rocky movie location, they’re often surprised to learn that most of what you see on screen in the 1976 classic wasn’t filmed on a soundstage — it was shot raw and fast right on the streets of Philadelphia.
Rocky 1 Filming Locations
Resurrection Gym
(Los Angeles) The opening shot of the movie features a painting of Jesus overlooking the match between Rocky and Spider Rico.
Rocky Balboa’s Apartment
(Philadelphia) Rocky’s run-down street looks just as it does in the movie, tattered screen door and all. Not a great neighborhood, but the best place to down your eggs and start the morning run.
Mighty Mick’s Gym
(Philadelphia) It’s Mickey Goldmill’s grungy gym near the pet shop, the spot where Rocky trains – and loses his locker.
Main Street Gym
(Los Angeles) L.A.’s historic gym was utilized as the interior of Mighty Mick’s during the filming of Rocky.
J&M Tropical Fish
(Philadelphia) Adrian’s pet shop – literally just a few steps away from Mighty Mick’s – has gotten dingier with the years. It was, for years, a real pet shop, but was closed in the mid 2000’s.
Adrian & Paulie’s House
(Philadelphia) Featured prominently in Rocky and Rocky V, this actual residence looked very similar until about 2010.
Ice Skating Rink (First Date)
(Los Angeles) The empty ice skating rink where Rocky takes Adrian for their first date on Thanksgiving night.
“Take You Back” Street Corners
(Philadelphia) The corner where Frank Stallone and the boys sing “Take You Back”, and later “Two Kinds of Love” in Rocky II.
The Italian Market
(Philadelphia) Rocky’s morning workout trails right through the middle of the famed Italian Market, and most recently, it’s where we saw the champ buy fresh groceries for his restaurant.
First Training Scene in Rocky
(Philadelphia) Filming location for the very first scene of the original training montage where Rocky jogs through a railroad yard lifting bricks.
Rocky Collecting Money at the Philly Docks
(Philadelphia) “You wanna dance, you gotta pay the band. You wanna borrow, you gotta pay the man.” Here’s where Rocky doesn’t break the guy’s thumb.
Ship from Original Training Montage
In one of the highlights of the original Rocky training montage, Sylvester Stallone is seen running along a dockside with a ship in the background.
Mr. Gazzo’s Street
(Philadelphia) “I shoulda broke your thumbs!” This is the street where Rocky and Gazzo get out of the car to talk about Del Rio.
Arched Bridge in Training Montage
(Philadelphia) Filming location for riverside bridge Rocky Balboa runs past during his “Gonna Fly Now” training montage in Philly.
“The Rocky Steps” – The Philadelphia Museum of Art
(Philadelphia) There is not a single more iconic location for die-hard fans. Plus, the bronze Rocky statue lives here, too!
Lucky Seven Tavern
(Philadelphia) The Lucky Seven Tavern seen in Rocky is a different location than the one in Rocky Balboa.
Pat’s King of Steaks
(Philadelphia) This Philly staple has been beloved by both cheesesteak fans and Rocky Balboa since 1930.
Little Marie’s House
(Philadelphia) Hey, creepo, it’s Lil’ Marie’s house as seen in the original Rocky.
Atomic Hoagie Shop
(Philadelphia) This little shop was the hangout for Marie and the neighborhood kids in the ’70s; today, that street corner has been somewhat renovated and there ain’t no hoagie shop there.
The Spectrum Arena
(Philadelphia) Rocky and Apollo’s first battle took place at this historic arena, which was demolished in 2011.
Run-and-Gun Filmmaking in Philly
Director John G. Avildsen and his crew took to the streets of Philly guerrilla-style. When they saw a cool location — like a gritty street, a rundown corner, or a dock with personality — they stopped the van and started rolling. Stallone would hop out and run through a scene with no extras, no set dressing, and no permission.
That’s how parts of Rocky’s famous training montage were captured. Real streets. Real people. Real Philly.
Interiors Were Filmed in Los Angeles—Except the Streets
While Rocky’s street scenes were almost all filmed in Philadelphia, the interior scenes were mostly shot in Los Angeles. That includes the inside of Rocky’s apartment, the skating rink, and Mickey’s gym—those were built on sound stages where the team had more control.
But the buildings themselves—the exteriors? All real Philly.
The team would film a real storefront or doorway in Philadelphia, then film the inside back in L.A. That blend of real-world environments helped keep costs low while still making the film feel 100% authentic.