50 years after iconic film, a gathering of ‘Rocky’ fans in Philadelphia breaks a world record

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The story of Rocky Balboa is one that audiences love and know well – of resilience, grit and persevering despite the odds.

Fans honored his legacy 50 years after the film with a Guinness World Record-breaking gathering of people dressed as Rocky on Friday at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The uniform? A black beanie, grey sweatpants and sweatshirt, and black high-top Converse sneakers.

A growing number of Rockys amassed in front of the museum steps Friday afternoon, cheering as stragglers showed up to aid the record-breaking attempt.

“What's your name?” the announcer asked one participant. “Rocky Balboa,” they replied.

A minimum of 250 people needed to be there for the occasion, according to Guinness. The official record was certified with 570 participants, an announcer said.

The city organized a host of events this month to honor its fictional underdog boxer, including a sprint up the stairs that Rocky stormed up in the film, a rededication marking the permanent installation of the Rocky statue, and a meat market challenge where fans can recreate a scene in the film where he trained by punching slabs of frozen meat.

After the world record was confirmed, the group ran up the stairs to pose for a picture in front of the museum.

On Saturday, tourism officials said 45,000 runners from all 50 states and 75 countries will participate in a “Rocky Run” throughout the city.

The 1976 film written by Sylvester Stallone tells the story of a small-time boxer from South Philly who gears up to take on the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed, fighting in the city to celebrate America’s bicentennial. Though he ultimately loses the fight, Rocky proves himself and wins the heart of Adrian, the neighborhood pet store clerk.

The movie was shot for less than $1 million, and Stallone was an unknown actor who had written the script in a desperate bid to land himself work.

The film won the best picture Oscar and became the highest-grossing sports movie at the time. Its numerous spinoffs and sequels has helped it hold the record for most successful sports movie franchise, according to Guinness World Records.

Philadelphia held its inaugural Rocky Day in 2023 with Stallone in attendance, expanding celebrations to a weeklong Rocky Fest the next year. The city kicked off this year’s festivities with the release of Stallone’s memoir, “The Steps,” on Sep. 29.

Fans celebrate on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after breaking the Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rocky Balboa Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Fans pose on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after breaking the Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rocky Balboa Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Fans walk to the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rocky Balboa Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Fans pose near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after breaking the Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rocky Balboa Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Fans celebrate on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after breaking the Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Rocky Balboa Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

STARBASE, Texas (AP) — SpaceX launched Starship toward orbit Friday in its boldest test yet: a 22-hour flight that aimed to capture the entire rocket in a move meant to accelerate moon and Mars travel.

But Elon Musk’s company had to lower its expectations when the first part of the double catch flopped.

The first-stage booster malfunctioned and instead of returning to its Texas pad several minutes after liftoff, it ended up in the Gulf of Mexico after an automatic abort. Despite the setback, the bullet-shaped spacecraft continued toward orbit. It will steer toward the pad Saturday for a similar grab, barring further trouble.

It’s the first time that the spacecraft will try to return to the pad from orbit, to be plucked in midair by mechanical arms secured to the launch tower.

The original goal was to retrieve every single piece of the rocket for the purpose of future recycling, something yet to be achieved anywhere in the world. Musk sees this leading to the kind of fast and consistent launch rates necessary for building moon bases and sending people to Mars.

Once in orbit, Starship will deliver 26 of the company’s most advanced Starlink satellites. The plan is for Starship to complete 15 laps around the world at an altitude of around 170 miles (275 kilometers) before heading back to the launch site for Saturday’s grand finale.

SpaceX had already made three booster grabs at the company’s sprawling Starbase near the U.S.-Mexico border. This was the first attempt to capture the upgraded version that stretches 236 feet (72 meters) — the production model for moon and Mars expeditions. It will also be the first time the company attempts to catch the spacecraft, which spans 171 feet (52 meters). Together, they form the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket — an astounding 407 feet (124 meters) in height.

The spacecraft portion of the 14 previous Starships ended up in the ocean, either by design at flight’s end or by accident in a stream of flaming wreckage. During the first full-scale test flight in 2023, multiple engines failed to ignite and the tumbling rocket’s self-destruct system was activated.

The last test, in September, was the first to reach orbit, but SpaceX did not try to recover any of the rocket stages.

SpaceX plans to start launching Starships from Florida within a few months and from Louisiana in a few years. Scaled-up infrastructure, combined with full rocket reusability, is “how you go from zero launches to 10 to 100 to 1,000 to 10,000 to 100,000,” SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev, vice president of launch, said at a NASA tech summit last week at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX’s smaller Falcon rockets will continue to fly from Cape Canaveral, carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA and from California carrying Starlinks. Satellites also will keep hitching Falcon rides for now. Musk wants Starships to eventually replace Falcons.

Falcon rockets “are still not fully reusable. We still throw that second stage away every single flight. Starship, we’re going to catch both the first stage and second stage,” Dontchev said.

NASA is paying SpaceX billions of dollars to land Artemis astronauts on the moon with Starships. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is the other major player. NASA expects to decide a year before the Artemis IV lunar landing — the first by astronauts in more than half a century — whether to get the moonwalkers to the surface with Musk’s Starship or Bezos’ Blue Moon.

During next summer’s Artemis III mission, astronauts will practice docking their capsule with a Blue Moon and then a Starship in orbit around Earth. That will set the stage for an Artemis moon touchdown as early as 2028.

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A weather balloon is released ahead of SpaceX's Starship test flight from Starbase in Texas, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is stacked and prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

People gather to watch as SpaceX's mega rocket Starship, getting stacked and prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is stacked and prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is stacked and prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is stacked and prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)