Sylvester Stallone's Action Movie That Kicked Off an $819M Franchise Returns as a PVOD Hit Ahead of Prequel - MCE Notices | California State Portal

The first film in an iconic franchise is officially a hit on premium video-on-demand. Of course, the Rambo franchise is headed for one of the biggest feature film comebacks of all time.

Per FlixPatrol, 1982’s First Blood has officially clawed its way to the list of the top ten films available via PVOD on the Apple TV Store in the United States. First Blood has even overtaken some seriously steep competition such as Hokum and Mortal Kombat, although the upcoming prequel probably has more than a little to do with that. The action film entered the charts on June 10, and it’s currently in seventh place on June 14.

The Impact of Rambo Shaped Pop Culture for Decades

Directed by Ted Kotcheff from a screenplay by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone, which itself was adapted from David Morrell’s classic novel of the same name, First Blood tells the story of U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran John Rambo, who becomes something of a drifter after his service. When John finds himself in the sleepy town of Hope, Washington, he is immediately targeted and accosted by the local sheriff, portrayed by Brian Dennehy, kicking off a deeply troubling and violent series of encounters that nearly tear the town apart.

Upon its release, First Blood proved to be a massive hit, raking in more than $125 million at the box office against a budget of less than $18 million. This was more than enough to secure the production of a sequel in spite of decidedly mixed reviews, kicking off one of the biggest action franchises of an era.

In the years since, the Rambo franchise has expanded with four more feature films, dozens of tie-in comics and video games, countless pieces of merchandise, and even the highly unexpected Rambo: The Force of Freedom Saturday morning cartoon show. The most recent entry in the series, 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood, effectively capped things off, while the hotly-anticipated prequel

What Fans Can Expect from the Upcoming Rambo Reboot

Image via Orion Pictures

Entitled John Rambo, the First Blood prequel is being directed by Jalmari Helander from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The film stars Noah Centineo as John Rambo, and will explore the iconic character’s time in Vietnam and the many horrors he endured that ultimately led to his tragic downward spiral in the original film.

Alongside Centineo, John Rambo features a small ensemble cast boasting the likes of Yao, James Franco, Tayme Thapthimthong, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Jason Tobin. In April, it was confirmed that Stranger Things star David Harbour had signed on to the cast of John Rambo in the role of Colonel Sam Trautman, a role famously portrayed in First Blood by the late, great Richard Crenna.

Director Jalmari Helander previously discussed his adoration for the franchise, giving fans high hopes for his vision for John Rambo. “I have been the biggest fan of Rambo since the age of 11. It is so surreal to be in a situation where I can actually make my own Rambo movie,” Helander stated. “The chain of events that got me here makes, in a fantastic way, my whole childhood make sense. I can’t wait to bring the greatest action hero back to the big screen where he belongs.”

In 2025, Stallone opened up about his failed pitch for starring in John Rambo himself rather than passing the role along to a younger actor. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Stallone said at the time. “AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn’t a big stretch.”

First Blood is currently available via premium video-on-demand on the Apple TV Store.