“Creed III” is set to knock out “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” for the top spot on domestic charts.
The MGM released took in an impressive $22 million opening day, a figure that includes $5.45 million from preview screenings earlier in the week. Playing in 4,007 locations, the “Rocky” spinoff is now projecting an opening north of $50 million, exceeding initial expectations that had the drama pegged at an opening in the $30 millions. It would also mark a franchise high across all the “Creed” films and the entire “Rocky” series, rocketing beyond the three-day debuts of the first “Creed” ($29 million) and its 2018 sequel ($35 million).
The film has been getting stellar reviews, landing a 92% from top critics on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman praised the film as a “sports drama that feels like a thriller,” writing that “Jordan shows dramatic finesse in his staging of the Adonis/Dame relationship, showcasing it as a broken brotherhood that speaks to larger disruptions — the tug between loyalty and violence in dispossessed childhoods.”
Helmed by star Michael B. Jordan in his feature directorial debut, “Creed III” finds Jordan’s Adonis Creed, the son of “Rocky” fighter Apollo Creed, face off against his childhood friend Damien, played by Jonathan Majors. The film’s cast also includes Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris and Florian Munteanu. Original “Rocky” franchise star Sylvester Stallone isn’t appearing in this installment due to creative differences, but he remains attached as a producer.
More to come…