Creed 3’s box office returns are already breaking records

The third film in the Creed trilogy has arrived and star/director Michael B. Jordan’s franchise shows no signs of slowing down. Creed 3 opened to impressive box office returns, earning nearly $59 million in the United States and more than $100 million internationally, which was more than its projections in both categories.

This impressive total marks a high watermark for the entire Rocky franchise, earning more than any of those films made in their opening weekends. Creed 2 came closest, though it remains a distant second with a $35 million opening. Creed 3 also debuted with the highest opening of a sports film, a historic achievement – even if the genre generally doesn’t match the earnings of other top blockbusters.

While it may be the ninth film in the Rocky franchise and the third in the Creed sub-franchise, it marks the directorial debut of star Michael B. Jordan. Jordan has said that anime was a major influence on the film and his style in it. Jordan has also made it clear that this is not the end of his movie making ambitions Creed 3 co-star Jonathan Majors, with the duo saying they hoped to be the new Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, during a interview with the New York Times.

While Creed 3’s opening is impressive, it can be hard to maintain comparable numbers since the much-anticipated one Scream VI appears on March 10.