Rocky musical to throw its final punch on Broadway

Rocky the musical is to finish on Broadway after being pounded at the box office. The musical, based on the Oscar-winning 1976 film by Sylvester Stallone, played 188 regular performances and won a Tony Award for scenic design.

The show stays true to the film which followed amateur boxer Rocky Balboa who gets his shot against an undefeated heavyweight champion.

It is directed by Alex Timbers and features a score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the story is by Thomas Meehan, who wrote Hairspray.

The musical received mixed-to-poor reviews, despite a spectacular final few minutes when the boxing ring is lowered onto the first few rows.

It did break the million-dollar mark once but recent sales have been disappointing, earning only half its $1,263,688 potential.

The closing notice comes a day after Holler If Ya Hear Me, a musical that that uses Tupac Shakur songs, announced it would close on Sunday following poor box office sales.

Rocky the musical will play its final performance at the Winter Garden Theatre on 17 August.