1976.
“Rocky” is released in November and goes on to win the Best Picture Award. It wins Best Director Award for John G. Alvidsen. Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire are nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. They nominate Stallone for Best Original Screenplay. Burgess Meredith garners a nomination for Best Supporting Actor as does Burt Young.
Roger Ebert calls Stallone the “new Marlon Brando”.
I saw the first Rocky movie in my hometown. I recall a friend of mine who sat next to me saying that he was afraid I was going to punch him.