MGM's boxing drama Creed III&nbsp;scored an opening-round knockout this weekend, taking in an estimated $58.7 million to top North America's box office in one of the biggest debuts ever for a sports film.

That made first-time director Michael B. Jordan -- who again plays rock-hard boxer Apollo Creed -- the "undefeated box office champion," said industry analyst Exhibitor Relations.

"This opening is sensational," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Weekends like this are good news for the industry."&nbsp;

In this ninth film in the Rocky&nbsp;franchise -- the first without Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky Balboa role he created -- Creed comes out of retirement for a dramatic showdown against an old friend played by Jonathan Majors.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-creed-3-movie-review-emotional-and-propulsive-michael-b-jordan-nails-his-directorial-debut-568129">Creed 3 movie review: Emotional and propulsive, Michael B Jordan nails his directorial debut</a>

That makes this a pretty good weekend for Majors, the villain in Marvel and Disney's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,&nbsp;which placed second for the Friday-through-Sunday period at $12.5 million. Paul Rudd stars as the title ant; Evangeline Lilly is the Wasp.

In third place was Universal's Cocaine Bear at $11 million. The horror comedy is based loosely on the true story of a black bear that wreaks havoc in the Tennessee woods after consuming a cache of lost cocaine. Keri Russell plays one of the locals caught up in the crazy.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- To the Swordsmith Village,&nbsp;an anime sequel from Crunchyroll, placed fourth at $10.1 million. The previous Demon Slayer&nbsp;film in 2021 had a record debut for a non-English language feature, taking in $19.5 million, Variety reported.&nbsp;

And in fifth was Lionsgate's Christian drama "Jesus Revolution," a story of a 1960s religious&nbsp;movement in California. It took in $8.7 million.&nbsp;

Rounding out the top 10 were:

Avatar: The Way of Water ($3.6 million)

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre ($3.2 million)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($2.7 million)

Magic Mike's Last Dance&nbsp;($1.2 million)

80 for Brady&nbsp;($845,000)

MGM's boxing drama Creed III scored an opening-round knockout this weekend, taking in an estimated $58.7 million to top North America's box office in one of the biggest debuts ever for a sports film.

MGM's boxing drama Creed III scored an opening-round knockout this weekend, taking in an estimated $58.7 million to top North America's box office in one of the biggest debuts ever for a sports film. That made first-time director Michael B. Jordan -- who again plays rock-hard boxer Apollo Creed -- the "undefeated box office champion," said industry analyst Exhibitor Relations. "This opening is sensational," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Weekends like this are good news for the industry." In this ninth film in the Rocky franchise -- the first without Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky Balboa role he created -- Creed comes out of retirement for a dramatic showdown against an old friend played by Jonathan Majors. Creed 3 movie review: Emotional and propulsive, Michael B Jordan nails his directorial debut That makes this a pretty good weekend for Majors, the villain in Marvel and Disney's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which placed second for the Friday-through-Sunday period at $12.5 million. Paul Rudd stars as the title ant; Evangeline Lilly is the Wasp. In third place was Universal's Cocaine Bear at $11 million. The horror comedy is based loosely on the true story of a black bear that wreaks havoc in the Tennessee woods after consuming a cache of lost cocaine. Keri Russell plays one of the locals caught up in the crazy. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- To the Swordsmith Village, an anime sequel from Crunchyroll, placed fourth at $10.1 million. The previous Demon Slayer film in 2021 had a record debut for a non-English language feature, taking in $19.5 million, Variety reported. And in fifth was Lionsgate's Christian drama "Jesus Revolution," a story of a 1960s religious movement in California. It took in $8.7 million. Rounding out the top 10 were: Avatar: The Way of Water ($3.6 million) Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre ($3.2 million) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($2.7 million) Magic Mike's Last Dance ($1.2 million) 80 for Brady ($845,000)

Creed III punches its way to top of North America box office

The third Creed movie, stylised as Creed III, is tracking for a North American box office bow of $36 million plus, reported Variety. This is the highest for the franchise. The film will also displace Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Creed 3, a sports drama movie, is the third film in the Creed franchise, which itself is a spinoff of the Sylvester Stallone-led Rocky franchise. Michael B Jordan reprises the role of Adonis Creed in the movie, and also makes his directorial debut with the film. Jonathan Majors joins the franchise with this film. Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad also star in the film.

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<h2>Has Creed 3 received positive reviews?</h2>

Earlier, the film received positive reviews. &nbsp;It holds a score of 90 per cent on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads, "Stepping out from Rocky Balboa's iconic shadow at last, the Creed franchise reasserts its champion status thanks to star Michael B. Jordan's punchy direction and a nuanced heel turn by Jonathan Majors."&nbsp;

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<h2>What are some of Creed 3's reviews?</h2>

Chicago Reader's Noëlle D. Lilley wrote, "In his directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan brings a surprisingly heartfelt though formulaic addition to the Rocky franchise."

The Playlist's Charles Bramesco wrote, "But just as a great boxer can’t pull the same trick over and over again, neither can a franchise, an issue previously the cause for the steep drop-off in quality among the nonetheless lucrative Rocky&nbsp;sequels."

Huffington Post's Candice Frederick wrote, "A fascinating film from a new director who seems unafraid of moments of teary defeat that manifest into something far more introspective and self-nourishing — even when that’s between two brawny Black men at odds with each other and themselves."

The Daily Beast's Nick Schager wrote, "It’s easy to see the film’s punches coming before they’re thrown, but that doesn’t lessen their wallop when they land."

CBR's Brandon Zachary wrote, "Creed III elevates a basic (but compelling) story with a very strong cast, while Michael B. Jordan's direction steals the show in a knockout film."

Creed 3 releases on March 3, 2023.

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The third Creed movie, stylised as Creed III, is tracking for a North American box office bow of $36 million plus, reported Variety. This is the highest for the franchise.

The third Creed movie, stylised as Creed III, is tracking for a North American box office bow of $36 million plus, reported Variety. This is the highest for the franchise. The film will also displace Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Creed 3, a sports drama movie, is the third film in the Creed franchise, which itself is a spinoff of the Sylvester Stallone-led Rocky franchise. Michael B Jordan reprises the role of Adonis Creed in the movie, and also makes his directorial debut with the film. Jonathan Majors joins the franchise with this film. Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad also star in the film. Has Creed 3 received positive reviews? Earlier, the film received positive reviews. It holds a score of 90 per cent on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads, "Stepping out from Rocky Balboa's iconic shadow at last, the Creed franchise reasserts its champion status thanks to star Michael B. Jordan's punchy direction and a nuanced heel turn by Jonathan Majors." What are some of Creed 3's reviews? Chicago Reader's Noëlle D. Lilley wrote, "In his directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan brings a surprisingly heartfelt though formulaic addition to the Rocky franchise." The Playlist's Charles Bramesco wrote, "But just as a great boxer can’t pull the same trick over and over again, neither can a franchise, an issue previously the cause for the steep drop-off in quality among the nonetheless lucrative Rocky sequels." Huffington Post's Candice Frederick wrote, "A fascinating film from a new director who seems unafraid of moments of teary defeat that manifest into something far more introspective and self-nourishing — even when that’s between two brawny Black men at odds with each other and themselves." The Daily Beast's Nick Schager wrote, "It’s easy to see the film’s punches coming before they’re thrown, but that doesn’t lessen their wallop when they land." CBR's Brandon Zachary wrote, "Creed III elevates a basic (but compelling) story with a very strong cast, while Michael B. Jordan's direction steals the show in a knockout film." Creed 3 releases on March 3, 2023. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Creed 3 set to break franchise record with $36 million US debut, will surpass Ant-Man 3

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Creed III punches its way to top of North America box office

Creed 3 set to break franchise record with $36 million US debut, will surpass Ant-Man 3