Rocky IV is the highest-grossing movie (domestic box office only) in the Rocky series, but it didn’t have the biggest opening weekend. That honor belongs to 2018’s Creed II ($35 million), at least for now. Creed III — the third Creed film with star Michael B. Jordan and ninth overall in the franchise — is on track for a $38-40 million three-day debut weekend. That’s a major(s) achievement.
Previous Creed pics played during the Thanksgiving frame in 2015 and 2018, respectively opening to $29 million and $35.5 million off of A CinemaScores. Already, Creed III is 90 percent certified fresh with Rotten Tomatoes critics, which is higher than Creed II‘s 83 percent fresh and a bit lower than Creed‘s 95 percent.
Creed III is the first Rocky movie to not star Sylvester Stallone, who explained his absence in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy — [producer] Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s,” the Tulsa King star said. “I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness.”
Creed III better still check in on the turtles, though.
(Via Deadline)