The film had a lukewarm box office of $23.4 million against its $18 million budget. Raging Bull premiered in New York on November 14, 1980, and was released in theaters on December 19, 1980. Scorsese was exacting in the process of editing and mixing the film, expecting it to be his last major feature. During principal photography, each of the boxing scenes was choreographed for a specific visual style and De Niro gained approximately 60 pounds (27 kg) to portray LaMotta in his later post-boxing years. Pesci was an unknown actor prior to the film, as was Moriarty, whom Pesci suggested for her role. Paul Schrader re-wrote Mardik Martin's first screenplay, and Scorsese and De Niro together made uncredited contributions thereafter. Scorsese was initially reluctant to develop the project, though he eventually came to relate to LaMotta's story. It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in the boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana and Frank Vincent.
