In just one weekend Creed III has punched its way to world title glory. The film sees son of Apollo Creed and former Rocky protege Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Michael B. Jordan) confronted by a dark past in the form of childhood best friend "Diamond Dame" Anderson (Jonathan Majors). The story, which explores lost loyalties and shattered brotherhood, has officially earned its place as the biggest sports movie opening in United States motion picture history.
Over the course of the weekend, the latest installment in the Rocky Balboa spin-off franchise accumulated a staggering $58.7 million at the domestic box office, storming past its highest projected taking of $40 million. Not only did it supersede its predecessor film Creed II, which took $35.5 million on opening weekend, but it also pushed Marvel blockbuster Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania off the top spot at the box office. The success of Creed III extends across the globe too with the film grossing $41.8m from over 75 overseas markets, bringing its global box office total to an impressive $100.4 million.
The film's newly found title sees it take the reigns from the likes of The Karate Kid, the 2010 rendition starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, which grossed $55.6 million during its debut. Other big hitters over the years include Adam Sandler's 1998 slapstick sports comedy The Waterboy, which pulled in $39.4 million and remarkable true story The Blind Side, which starred Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron, and secured $34.5 million on opening weekend. What is particularly noteworthy about many of the sports films that have seen similar levels of success is that they all share the universal theme of being about so much more than sports. Thematically, many of them opt to use sports as a metaphor for the struggles - and success - seen in the real world, which is likely why they have resonated with audiences.
Jordan's directorial debut is no different. Creed III leans heavily into the fight that happens in day-to-day life in the same way the Rocky films did for nearly half a decade. However, its fresh take on the blurred lines between good and bad and right and wrong certainly played into it earning such widespread approval. The film opened to knockout reviews, and from an audience perspective, the movie has earned an impressive 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which speaks volumes about how well it has been received on that front.
Given that the film has already made its mark in just one weekend, the future is looking bright for Creed III. You can watch a trailer for the film below.