‘Creed III’ punched above its weight, topping the domestic box office in its first week

Playing at 4,007 locations in North America, “Creed III” took in an estimated $58.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Going into the weekend, analysts expect the film to open to the tune of $30 million. The first “Creed” debuted to $29 million in 2015 and “Creed II” opened to $35 million in 2018.

Michael B. Jordan made his directorial debut in “Creed III,” pitting his character Adonis against a childhood friend, Dame, played by Jonathan Majors. This was the first of the Rocky/Creed films not to feature Sylvester Stallone, who chose not to return due to creative differences.

“It exceeded all our expectations. And we knew we had something special – we tested the movie and it tested well, but the public responded very well to it,” said Erik Lomis, MGM’s head of distribution. “Everyone has been here since the movie itself … It’s up to us not to break it if they give it to us and we don’t.”

Strong reviews helped “Creed III,” which currently sits at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The audience is predominantly male (63%), diverse (36% Black, 28% Latino, 23% white and 13% Asian/other) and young (55% between 18 and 34) according to exit polls.

More than 80% of the general audience said that the film is a “definite recommendation.” With the Black audience, that number rises to 89%.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time and that’s rarefied air,” said Lomis. “People love the movie.”

It’s also the most expensive “Creed” film, with a reported production budget of $75 million, compared to others that cost between $35 million and $50 million. Internationally, “Creed III” earned $41.8 million from 75 markets, making a global debut of $100.4 million.

This is a great opportunity for Amazon, which earned MGM $8.5 billion last year, and may have just released “Creed III” on its streaming service with a limited theatrical run. But they chose theater, and it paid off.

“Amazon threw their weight behind this movie like only they could,” Lomis said. “They’re filling out the campaign with marketing support across all their verticals on the platform and beyond the platform. That shows a commitment to the theater business model from Amazon and MGM, which I think should be exciting for everyone.

The company’s next major theatrical release is the Ben Affleck-directed “Air,” starring Matt Damon, out next month.

“Ant-Man 3” fell a distant second in its third weekend in theaters with $12.5 million from North America and $22 million internationally. The Marvel and Disney The film’s global cume now stands at $419.5 million.

Third place went to Universal’s ” Cocaine Bear,” which added $11 million in its second weekend in theaters to bring its domestic total to $41.3 million.

Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To The Swordsmith Village” ranked fourth with $10.1 million. The series is based on Koyoharu Gotoge’s manga about a boy who takes revenge on his family.

Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company’s “Jesus Revolution” rounded out the top five with $8.7 million. The film starring Kelsey Grammer as a 1970s pastor grossed $30.5 million in two weekends in theaters against a $15 million production budget.

Opening outside the top five is Guy Ritchie’s “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,” a spy caper with Jason Statham, Hugh Grant and Aubrey Plaza that earned $3.2 million from 2,168 locations this week. The film, originally released by STX, has been in distribution limbo for some time. Lionsgate recently stepped in to handle the domestic rollout.

The success of “Creed III” bodes well for other releases coming in March, including “John Wick Chapter 4” and “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods.”

“We had an amazing March,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s going to feel more like summer than spring with hits coming one after another that will create incredible momentum for the summer movie season.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. The final domestic figure will be released on Monday.

1. “Creed III,” $58.7 million. 2. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $12.5 million. 3. “Cocaine Bear,” $11 million. 4. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To The Swordsmith Village,” $10.1 million. 5. “Jesus Revolution,” $8.7 million. 6. “Avatar: The Path of Water,” $3.6 million. 7. “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,” $3.2 million. 8. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $2.7 million. 9. “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” $1.2 million. 10. “80 for Brady,” $845,000.

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