If ever there was any doubt Creed III is living proof that the Rocky Balboa franchise is strong enough to win 47 years later. After another triumphant weekend at the box office, the sports drama grossed $12 million in 75 markets. This brings its global box office to an exceptional $224.3 million, with international markets accounting for $96.6 million of the total. Despite a 50% drop during its third week in theaters, the film outperformed previous installments of the spin-off. Credothe first entry in a new story, grossed a total of $173.5 million worldwide, while Creed 2 ended its run with a worldwide total of $213.5 million.

In what can only be described as an epic victory for Michael B. Jordanthe directorial debut of the film, which was budgeted at $75 million. Undoubtedly Creed III impressed critics and audiences alike with his updated take on Rocky’s resilience mantra: “It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how you can get hit and keep moving forward.” The film tells the story of newly retired Adonis Creed (Jordan), who is at the height of fame and fortune until his childhood best friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) - now steeped in revenge - threatens to take his life after a hefty prison sentence.

What topics are explored in Creed III?

Rather than compete with outsider themes that are heavily explored in the rest of the chapters, Jordan’s proposal boldly tackles darker themes of guilt, forgiveness, and trauma instead. To a large extent it did Creed III even more relevant to its time, when the world outside the theater reflected the same temperature as rocky did so well in his time. In fact, Jordan has previously acknowledged the deliberate depth of his characters. “Creed 3 is not just your typical boxing movie,” Jordan explained in an IMAX short. “We really wanted to take the emotional journey of the characters and bring it to the ring and get the physical payoff.” Jordan’s vision resonated with the public, with 96% of viewers on Rotten Tomatoes affirming it.

Jonathan Majors as Damian Anderson in Creed III
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

With new moves in the franchise, Jordan has left plenty of room for growth and expansion that will almost certainly be on the table. After a decent championship start, Jordan reportedly met with Amazon to discuss the possibilities for a broader “verse of faith” with a number of potential spin-offs on both the big and small screen, which are being discussed under Deadline.

Creed III now in cinemas. You can watch the official trailer for the film below.