If there was ever any doubt, Creed III is living proof the Rocky Balboa franchise is strong enough to reign victorious 47 years later. After another triumphant weekend at the box office, the sports drama brought in $12 million across 75 markets. This brings its global box office cume to an exceptional $224.3 million, with international markets contributing to $96.6 million of the overall figure. Despite a 50% drop off during its third week in theaters, the film has clobbered the previous installments in the spin-off series. Creed, the first entry in the new tale, racked up a total of $173.5 million globally whilst Creed II rounded off its run with a worldwide total of $213.5 million.
In what can only be described as an epic win for Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut, the film has made good on its estimated $75 million budget. Undoubtedly, Creed III has impressed both critics and audiences with its renewed take on Rocky's resilience mantra "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how you can get hit and keep moving forward." The film depicts the story of a freshly retired Adonis Creed (Jordan) who is at the top of his in fame and fortune until his childhood best friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) – now steeped in vengeance – threatens to uproot his life following a hefty prison sentence.
What Themes Are Explored In 'Creed III'?
Instead of opting to compete with the underdog themes heavily explored throughout the rest of the chapters, Jordan's offering instead boldly tackles darker themes of guilt, forgiveness and trauma. In many ways, this has made Creed III even more relevant for its time with the world outside the theater reflecting a similar temperature, which is precisely what Rocky did so well during its respective time. In fact, Jordan has previously made a point of acknowledging the intentional depth behind his characters. "Creed 3 is not just your typical boxing movie," Jordan explained in an IMAX featurette. "We really wanted to take advantage of the emotional journey of the characters, and put that into the ring and have it pay off in a physical way." Clearly, Jordan's vision resonated with audiences with a sturdy 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes to show for it.
With new legs on the franchise, Jordan has left ample room for growth and expansion, something that is almost certainly on the table. After a championship-worthy start, Jordan reportedly met with Amazon to discuss scope for a wider “Creed-verse” with a string of potential spin-offs across both the big and small screen in discussion, per Deadline.
Creed III is in theaters now. You can watch the official trailer for the film below.