Creed III

Creed III is an American sports drama film directed by Michael B. Jordan (in his feature directorial debut) with a screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin from a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler. The sequel to Creed II (2018) and the ninth installment in the Rocky franchise, the film stars Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad. This is the first film in the franchise without Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, though he still serves as a producer for his Balboa Productions banner.
A third Creed film was officially announced in September 2019, and in October 2020 Jordan was hired to make his directorial debut, as well as reprise his role. Majors and the rest cast joined between November 2021 and September of the following year, while it was also confirmed Stallone would not appear in the film. Principal photography began in late-January 2022 and lasted through April, taking place in Georgia, Tampa, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. It is the first film to be self-distributed by MGM under the ownership of Amazon, which shut down the studio's previous distributor United Artists Releasing on the day of the film's release due to the financial failures of the studio's 2022 awards season titles.
Creed III had its world premiere in Mexico City on February 9, 2023, and was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on March 3. The film received positive reviews from critics, praising the fight scenes, Jordan's direction, and the performances (particularly Jordan and Majors), and has grossed $100 million worldwide.
==Synopsis==
In 2002 Los Angeles, a young Adonis "Donnie" Creed sneaks out with his best friend, Golden Gloves champion Damian "Diamond Dame" Anderson, to watch Dame compete in an underground boxing match. After Dame's victory, Dame tells Donnie about his aspirations to turn professional and become a world champion. During a detour at a liquor store, Donnie impulsively attacks a man named Leon.
In 2020, Donnie fights and wins in a rematch against "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, who just got released from his prison sentence and worked his way back to be a contender for a championship fight. He retires from boxing to focus on his wife Bianca and their daughter Amara. Three years later, Donnie runs Delphi Boxing Academy with his coach Tony "Little Duke" Evers Jr., and is promoting his protégé, world champion Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez, in a match against Viktor Drago. Due to her hearing problems, Bianca forgoes performing and becomes a successful producer. The two keep watch over the declining health of Donnie's adoptive mother Mary Anne. Amara aspires to be a boxer like her father, which gets her into trouble in school.
Dame is released from prison and reconnects with Donnie, to whom he shares his desires to continue his boxing career. Donnie reluctantly invites Dame to the gym to spar with Chavez, however his aggressive style draws scorn from Chavez and Duke. Dame later visits Donnie's home, where he meets his family and shares about their time together at a group home, which Bianca has never heard of. Privately, Dame expresses his desire for a title shot against Chavez, citing Donnie's father giving an unknown a one-in-a-million shot, which Donnie refuses.
At a party for Bianca's record label, Dame cryptically tells Bianca about Leon before Drago is attacked by an unknown assailant; his injury casts doubt on his fight with Chavez. Donnie suggests Dame as an opponent, pitching an underdog fight much like Rocky Balboa's first title shot, which Chavez accepts. During the fight, Dame fights dirty, but knocks out Chavez, winning the undisputed heavyweight championship.
After the match, an uneasy Donnie visits Mary Anne, who shows him letters Dame wrote to Donnie while in prison that she kept from him due to believing he was a bad influence. One letter contains a picture showing Dame with a fellow inmate that Donnie recognizes as the one who assaulted Drago. Realizing Dame orchestrated the attack, Donnie confronts him. Dame reveals that he manipulated all their encounters to set him up as a champion, before giving him a black eye. Donnie is unable to open up to Bianca about his guilt over Dame, who revels in his newfound fame and publicly slanders Donnie as a fraud who turned his back on him.
Mary Anne suffers another stroke and dies. After the funeral, Donnie confesses to Bianca the truth: Leon was the abusive caregiver in the group home Dame and Donnie lived in before Donnie was adopted. After Donnie attacked Leon at the liquor store, a brawl against Leon's friends ensued causing Dame to pull a gun. As cops arrived, Donnie fled, but Dame was arrested. Attempting to block out the memory, Donnie never contacted Dame out of shame and guilt. Knowing Dame would not stop defaming him, he tells Bianca there's only one way to bring him down.
Donnie goes on First Take, where Dame calls in to goad Donnie over the phone. Donnie decides to come out of retirement and challenges Dame for the championship, which he accepts. After training with Duke and a recovered Drago, Donnie faces Dame in the "Battle of Los Angeles" at Dodger Stadium, which proves to be a grueling, evenly matched affair. In the final round, Donnie uses Duke's advice to let go of his fear and guilt and takes advantage of Dame's drained energy, delivering a knockout to win the match and the championship. Afterwards, Donnie reconciles with Dame, with both men admitting it was not the other's fault. Donnie joins Bianca and Amara in the ring in the empty stadium, where he pretends to box with Amara.
==Cast==
*Michael B. Jordan as Adonis "Donnie" Creed (né Johnson)
**Thaddeus J. Mixon as young Adonis "Donnie" Johnson
*Tessa Thompson as Bianca Taylor-Creed
*Jonathan Majors as Damian "Diamond Dame" Anderson
**Spence Moore II as young Damian "Dame" Anderson
*Wood Harris as Tony "Little Duke" Evers
*Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago
*Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne Creed
* Mila Davis-Kent as Amara Creed
* José Benavidez Jr. as Felix Chavez
* Selenis Leyva as Laura Chavez
Additionally, Tony Bellew reprises his role as "Pretty" Ricky Conlan from the first film. Boxer Canelo Álvarez and singer Kehlani make cameo appearances as themselves.
==Production==
===Development===
In December 2018, in response to the suggestion that Deontay Wilder could play the son of Clubber Lang in a potential sequel to Creed II (2018), both Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan expressed interest in such a character being featured in the plot of the next installment. In September 2019, Jordan confirmed that Creed III was officially in active development.
===Pre-production===
In February 2020, Zach Baylin was announced as screenwriter, with Jordan confirmed to reprise his role as Adonis Creed. In October 2020, it was reported that, in addition to reprising his role of Adonis Creed, Jordan would also direct Creed III, serving as his directorial debut. Producers had expressed interest in having Jordan serve as director, with Irwin Winkler stating that he had personally offered the position to the actor. In April 2021, Stallone announced he would not appear as Rocky Balboa in the film. By June 2021, Jonathan Majors entered talks to portray Adonis' new adversary. In November 2021, it was officially confirmed that Majors would appear in the film. In April 2022, it was announced that Wood Harris and Florian Munteanu would reprise their roles from previous Creed films, while Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II and Mila Davis-Kent joined the cast. In September 2022, Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez was cast in an undisclosed role.
===Filming===
Principal photography began in late January 2022, with Jordan being spotted on the film's set in Atlanta, Georgia. Kramer Morgenthau returned as the cinematographer for the film, after doing so for Creed II. The film was shot on IMAX-certified Sony CineAlta Venice cameras and the Panavision anamorphic format, making this the first film in the series to do so. Filming later ended on April 6, 2022.
===Post-production===
In May 2022, the final writing credits were officiated; Ryan Coogler, director and co-writer of Creed (2015), received story credit with Keenan Coogler and Baylin, with the latter two receiving screenplay credit. Tyler Nelson serves as the film's editor.
==Release==
===Theatrical===
Creed III was originally scheduled to be theatrically released on November 23, 2022 by United Artists Releasing in the United States and Warner Bros. Pictures internationally, but on July 28, it was postponed to March 3, 2023.
It is the first MGM title to not be distributed by United Artists Releasing after Amazon shut down the distributor's operations and folded it into MGM itself on the day of the film's release, as a result of both the box office failures of Bones and All and Orion Pictures' Till and Women Talking due to the general public no longer supporting prestige films during the late awards season period, and the decision to release Amazon Studios' Air in theaters worldwide the following month in response to that film's 2024 Oscar buzz.
===Home media===
This will be released on DVD, Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD on June 13, 2023 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (under Studio Distribution Services joint venture with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) in the United States & Canada.
==Box office==
As of March 5, 2023, Creed III has grossed $58.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $41.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $100.5 million.
In the United States and Canada, Creed III was released alongside Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, was initially projected to gross $38-40 million from 4,007 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $22 million on its first day, including $5.45 million from Wednesday and Thursday night previews (the best total of the trilogy), increasing estimates to $50 million. It went on to debut to $58.7 million, widely surpassing expectations, topping the box office and marking the best-ever opening weekend for a sports film.
==Reception==
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 233 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads, "Stepping out from Rocky Balboa's iconic shadow at last, the Creed franchise reasserts its champion status thanks to star Michael B. Jordan's punchy direction and a nuanced heel turn by Jonathan Majors." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale (slightly down from the first two films' "A" grade), while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 92% positive score, with 80% saying they would definitely recommend it.
==Future==
On February 2, 2023, Jordan confirmed that a fourth Creed film was happening "for sure" and that spin-offs were also being considered.
==Videos==
CREED III - Official Trailer
CREED III - Final Trailer
==References==
==External links==
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Category:2023 directorial debut films
Category:2023 drama films
Category:2023 films
Category:2020s American films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2020s sports drama films
Category:African-American drama films
Category:American sequel films
Category:American sports drama films
Category:Films directed by Michael B. Jordan
Category:Films shot in Atlanta
Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Category:New Line Cinema films
Category:Rocky (film series) films
Category:Warner Bros. films
Category:Films directed by Michael B. Jordan
Category:Films produced by Sylvester Stallone
Category:Films produced by Ryan Coogler
Category:Films starring Michael B. Jordan
Category:Films starring Tessa Thompson
Category:Films starring Jonathan Majors
Category:Creed films