Having a rival in your field of work makes you do 2 things: One, it inspires you to do more than him, or two, it makes you pull his/her legs to drag him/her down. Healthy competition is where it makes you do more than you know you can. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have shared this kind of relationship in their professional lives. In fact, the Austrian actor’s one of greatest movies was inspired by his professional rival’s blockbuster film franchise. 

Sylvester Stallone and Schwarzenegger have portrayed some great action characters. Because their movies were filled with heavy action, they both were very competitive in terms of making great action films. However, both their films still rule the hearts of their fans. But the 75-year-old actor’s 1987 hit film, Predator, just completed 36 years of its release. And there is an interesting fact about the 1987 movie which will blow your mind: Predator took inspiration from Stallone’s hit film franchise. 

In the ’80s, Stallone and Schwarzenegger were rivals. Stallone just made his name with his greatest hit film franchise Rocky. Around the time, there was a joke in the industry that as Rocky Balboa beats Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, now he will have to fight the alien. So, in response to that joke, screenwriters Jim and John Thomas wrote a script where a killer alien comes to Earth. They named it Hunter.

However, then they changed the name to Predator while having the former governor of California play the lead. And the rest is history as we know it. Released on the 12th of June, 1987, the film became a hit with a Box Office collection of $98.3 million against a budget of $15–18 million. Still, despite having some mixed reviews, after 36 years, the film rules the hearts of the fandom.

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger starred Predator still famous?

No matter how old some films are, they hold a special place in our hearts. Predator is one such film. People liked the film because of its effective action and the memorable performance by the FUBAR star. Giving nice competition to his rival Stallone, who revealed the FUBAR star to be the superior, Schwarzenegger once again proved his strength as an action hero.

Moreover, the simple characterization and nice cinematography made the movie more interesting. While even in today’s time, fans love the film, they celebrated the 36th anniversary of the film as well.

What do you think about Rocky inspiring Predator? Have you watched either of the movies? Share your thoughts in the comments.