Box office: Creed 3 knocks out competition, Ant-Man 3 shrinks further

This is called a knockout win. Creed 3film derived from the famous franchise rockyshattered expectations and raked in more than $58 million in its first weekend of operation in the United States, March 3-5, 2023. It leaves its pursuers on the ground, especially Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which again loses more than half of its audience.

A record for the Rocky saga

While anticipations announced it around 40 million, this third Creed film, still with Michael B. Jordan at the head of the bill, surprised by collecting 58.6 million dollars during its inaugural weekend in theaters. A very solid figure for a production with an announced budget of 75 million and which allows Creed 3 to sign the best start of the Rocky franchise, far ahead Creed 2 (35.5 million) and Creed (29.6).

Internationally, the film collected $41.8 million for a total total of $100.4 million. This plebiscite can be explained by the first good critical feedback (87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 74% on Metacritic), as well as excellent word-of-mouth from the public. The higher price of IMAX tickets is also an element to take into account.

With this cannon start, Creed 3 should easily exceed the 213 million dollars earned by Creed 2 and become the biggest hit of this new trilogy. The previous films of the Rocky saga, released between 1976 and 2006, however, remain much more popular and among the biggest successes in the history of cinema.

Ant-Man in size XXS

Behind Creed 3, the competition gets the crumbs. In second place, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania recorded $12.4 million for its third weekend of operation, down 61% from the previous week. In total, the Marvel film has collected 186 million in the United States and only 419.5 million worldwide.

For comparison, the first Ant Man (2015) had totaled 519 million dollars in revenue, when its sequel released in 2018 had earned 622 million. This third opus therefore risks not reaching the scores of its predecessors. A first for the MCU and one more sign that Marvel may be on its way to becoming a titan with feet of clay.

In the rest of the classification, we note the presence of Cocaine Bear (3rd, $11 million) and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba (4th, 10.1 million). In sixth place, Avatar: The Way of the Water still collects 3.5 million dollars on American soil for a global total which amounts to 2.281 billion. Not bad for a film released in mid-December.

Where to see the other films of the Rocky saga?

If you are a fan of sports and boxing in particular, the saga rocky is obviously unavoidable. Written and carried by Sylvester Stallone since the first part in 1976, it has established itself as one of the most iconic franchises in cinema, a reference of the genre. It was rebooted in 2016 with Creedwhich saw Michael B. Jordan take on the lead role and Rocky Balboa take on the mentor-coach suit.