There are 72 steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that Rocky runs up. The staircase leads to the museum’s East Entrance and became internationally famous after Rocky runs up it during the training montage in the 1976 film Rocky.
The scene ends with Rocky raising his arms while facing the Philadelphia skyline, turning an ordinary public staircase into one of cinema’s best-known landmarks. The steps are now commonly called the Rocky Steps, although their official setting is the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The location became a pilgrimage site for film fans, runners, and tourists. Visitors commonly recreate Rocky’s triumphant pose at the top, while the nearby Rocky statue provides another popular photo opportunity. The statue was created for Rocky III and later donated to Philadelphia by Sylvester Stallone.
The steps are sometimes confused with other staircases used during Rocky’s running sequences. The famous final staircase, however, is the 72-step flight at the museum. The surrounding Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the museum’s neoclassical architecture also help define the scene’s instantly recognizable Philadelphia setting.