MGM’s Creed III has delivered its first blow.
The latest installment in the Rocky spinoff series earned a strong $5.5 million in previews, including from Thursday night shows and sneak screenings earlier in the week.
Creed III is now pacing to open to $40 million domestically, easily enough to win this weekend’s match. In addition to returning as the title character Adonis Creed, Jordan also helmed the movie in his feature directorial debut.
The first Creed, directed by Ryan Coogler, powered its way to a $42.1 million domestic opening over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday in 2015, including $29 million for the three-day weekend, not adjusted for inflation. The Steven Caple Jr.-directed sequel opened over the Thanksgiving corridor in 2018, grossing $56 million for the five days and $35.5 million for the three.
Holdovers to watch include Marvel and Disney’s Quantumania and Universal’s high-profile genre pic Cocaine Bear.
Creed III, which was filmed with Imax digital cameras, will bump Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania off of many premium screens, including Imax locations.
The pic follows Jordan’s character as he comes out of retirement to face off with an old friend, played by Jonathan Majors (who is also garnering notice for his villainous role in Quantumania). Tessa Thompson, Mila Davis-Kent and Wood Harris co-star, among others.
Also debuting this weekend is the anime franchise installment Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village (Crunchyroll) and Guy Ritchie’s action pic Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (Lionsgate, Miramax). The two films are expected to open in the single digits.
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