Creed 3 Makes History, Delivers Knock-Out To Marvel
Creed 3 has outperformed expectations and is expected to earn over $50 million in it opening weekend, taking the top spot from Marvel's Ant-Man 3.
Creed 3, directed by Michael B. Jordan, is on track to deliver a crushing blow to Marvel by the end of the weekend. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the threequel, initially projected to earn between $36 million and $40 million in its debut weekend, is now expected to open closer to $51 million. That figure is more than enough to dethrone Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as the number one movie at the box office, as well as deliver the biggest opening for the Rocky spin-off franchise.
After earning $5.4 million from Wednesday and Thursday previews, Creed 3 raked in a whopping $22 million on Friday. That’s just $8 million short of the $29.6 million the first film earned during its three-day debut in 2015. Creed grossed nearly $110 million domestically and an additional $63.8 million from international territories.
Creed 3’s massive opening weekend is a huge win for Michael B. Jordan and further cements his status as one of the biggest talents in Hollywood. Not only did the 36-year-old star make his feature directorial debut with the film, but he reprised his role as Adonis Creed, a character first introduced in Creed. Jordan proved his acting chops long ago, and it looks like the Black Panther star is just as remarkable behind the camera.
In the film, Jordan’s character has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy (Jonathan Majors) resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight. Jordan directed Creed 3 from a script by Keegan Coogler and Zach Baylin. The cast also comprises Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Mila Davis-Kent, Selenis Leyva, Spencer Moore II, and Tony Bellew.
Stellar reviews and strong word of mouth undoubtedly fueled the threequel’s massive box office debut. On Rotten Tomatoes, Creed 3 sits with a certified fresh score of 87 percent from critics off 224 reviews. Meanwhile, the movie’s everyday viewers were blown away, giving it a score of 96 percent.
One individual who is surely relieved with the positive reviews Creed 3 has been getting is Johnathan Majors. Even though he has received heaps of praise for his performance as the villainous Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s one of the lowest-rated MCU entries to date. The film has a rotten score of 43 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which is lower than the 47 percent 2021’s Eternals currently sits with.
After opening to approximately $106 million, Quantumania suffered from the MCU’s worst second weekend drop with $32.2 million. Now, thanks to Creed 3, the film is expected to earn between $16 million and $19 million in its third weekend. To say Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is off to a rough start would definitely be an understatement.
Meanwhile, Creed 3 proves that plenty of juice is still left in the Rocky franchise. There are already reports that discussions around a fourth film are currently taking place. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.
