“Creed III” triumphantly debuted at the box office with its impressive debut of $58.7 million, setting a franchise record with dethroning two-time champion “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Heading into the weekend, “Creed III” was projected to earn $36 million to $40 million, which would have already been enough to establish a new high-flying mark. The first Creed, which rebooted the decades-old Rocky movies in 2015, grossed $29.6 million, while the sequel, Creed 2, opened in 2018 to $35.5 million.
But the third installment, directed by series star Michael B. Jordan, in his feature filmmaking debut, garnered a boost from stellar reviews and strong audience scores, as well as pricey Imax tickets. The latest game, “Creed,” enjoyed a massive blockbuster on Friday, taking in $22 million.
At $75 million, “Creed III” is the most expensive film in the trilogy (the previous film cost $35 million and $50 million, respectively), but it already seems well-placed in its theatrical trajectory.
“After six previous ‘Rockys’ and two ‘Creeds’ films, the story continues to resonate and the action builds – it’s impressive,” says David A. Gross, who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. ‘A weekend like this is good news for the industry.’
In a distant second place, Marvel’s superhero adventure “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” collected nearly $12 million from 3,825 spots, marking a 61% drop. To date, the film has grossed $186 million in North America, surpassing the original “Ant-Man,” which ended its theatrical run with $180 million domestically. It’s also likely to surpass the 2018 sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” which left North American theaters with $216 million.
More is coming…
More is coming…
