Creed III knocked out its competition at the box office this weekend and became the reigning champ of its own franchise, beating out its two predecessors and pulling off the highest ever debut for a sports movie.
The movie raked in $58.7 million dollars domestically and $41.8 million internationally for a total of more than $100 million. This means it has already earned back its $75 million budget and surpassed two-time champ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
For context, the movie was only projected to earn between $36 million and $40 million, which is around what Creed II made on its opening weekend. The first film in the series, meanwhile, made just under $30 million on its debut.
What explains the knockout performance? For one, the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive (87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). The presence of Jonathan Majors in the role of the antagonist is also generating buzz.
In addition, Michael B. Jordan, who plays the titular Adonis Creed, was in the director's chair this round, and many critics agreed he brought new energy to the franchise.
