Creed III secures top-place finish at the domestic box office

Creed III is punching above its weight for a top-place finish in its first weekend at the American box office.

After a phenomenal US$22 million on Friday (including US$5.4 million from Wednesday and Thursday previews), the third installment in the Rocky spinoff series is eyeing a franchise-best US$51 million debut weekend.

This is significantly higher than the projected US$36 million to US$40 million range heading into the weekend.

By comparison, the first Creed debuted to U$42 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, and U$29 million across the traditional three-day weekend.

Directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, Creed III is coming off of glowing reviews and an excellent A- CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which bodes well for the future.

The Creed films are centered around Jordan's Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed.

Both previous films also featured acclaimed supporting performances by Sylvester Stallone as the iconic Rocky Balboa, who takes Donnie under his wing.

Source: Collider.com