Plenty of audiences have become numb to franchise fare at this stage, so the staying power being displayed by the extended Rocky saga is nothing short of incredible when you consider the series kicked off all the way back in 1976. Even though it’s the first installment that doesn’t feature Sylvester Stallone, Creed III has proven that it doesn’t need the Italian Stallion to succeed.
Of course, it helps that the previous two chapters are comfortably nestled right in the top tier when it comes to discussing legacy sequels, spinoffs, and legacy sequels to said spinoffs, but that doesn’t make its achievements any less impressive, never mind the stellar reviews that blew away any notion that Michael B. Jordan would be ill-equipped to tackle such a monolithic first project for his feature-length directorial debut.
Having soared to $58 million domestically and over $100 million at the global box office in its first three days in theaters, the latest chapter in Adonis Creed’s story has shattered multiple notable box office milestones. Not only is it a franchise-high for the Rocky brand, but it’s also the highest-grossing first weekend for any sports movie in the United States.
In addition, Creed III has become the first entry in the history of the entire sports genre to land a worldwide haul in excess of $100 million in its maiden weekend, while it’s also a new high for Amazon Studios, with Jordan taking home an impressive accolade as the director of the top-earning directorial debut from a Black filmmaker.
Amazon is set to prioritize the IP as part of its strategy for rebuilding MGM in its own image, and with Jordan open for more pugilistic exploits, this is far from the last we’ve seen or heard from Creed.
