The Forgotten Collaboration Between Sylvester Stallone And John Travolta That Was A Total Critical Failure
The film was called embarrassing and unnecessary.
Although Sylvester Stallone boasts an impressive filmography as an actor, when it comes to memorable work behind the scenes his highest points are closely tied to the Rocky franchise.
Yet while his career was on the rise, the Oscar-winning filmmaker directed one of John Travolta's films at the request of his industry colleague. However, what initially seemed like the union of two powers resulted in one of the biggest critical failures of the 1980s.
Like the Italian stallion saga with Stallone, “Saturday Night Fever” was the movie that made Travolta a true icon and opened doors to the most notable hits of his filmography. That said, there is probably nothing more forgettable than "Surviving (Stayin Alive)," the sequel that landed in Sly's hands five years later.
This is the only film written by Sylvester Stallone in which he is not the protagonist and it has been considered the biggest mistake of him in the director's chair. "Staying Alive" is one of the few movies that has received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's amazing to think that not a single notable critic ever enjoyed the movie.
The consensus on the 1983 film within the renowned portal states: "This sequel to 'Saturday Night Fever' is surprisingly embarrassing and unnecessary, changing the dramatic depth of the original for a series of dance sequences without any inspiration."
Even so, the strategy of uniting two relevant figures of the time achieved a large turnout in the rooms. At its premiere, it raised a total of $ 12,146,143 on 1,660 screens. Overall, the film made nearly $ 65 million at the United States box office against its $ 22 million budget. In addition, worldwide it grossed 127 million, which positioned it as one of the most profitable films of that year.
Travolta just wanted Sylvester Stallone
In a past interview, John Travolta explained why he wanted Sylvester Stallone to direct the film and, despite the bad press, defended her for taking liberties with his predecessor.
"I had just seen Rocky III and I said to my agent, 'This is a crazy idea, but if I could get the kind of energy, excitement and rhythm that Stallone brought to Rocky III, that's where I think this movie would go.'" Travolta acknowledged to The New York Times.
"A month went by and I was doing a play in Aspen when my agent called me and said, 'You won't believe this, but Michael Eisner from Paramount wants to ask Stallone to direct Staying Alive,'" he added about the anecdote. .
