Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Creed 3’ Earns Over $100 Million Globally Opening Weekend + Sylvester Stallone Absent From Film Due To Creative Differences &  Fight Over The Rights To ‘Rocky’ Franchise

Michael B. Jordan. Sylvester Stallone

Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Creed 3’ Earns Over $100 Million Globally Opening Weekend + Sylvester Stallone Absent From Film Due To Creative Differences &  Fight Over The Rights To ‘Rocky’ Franchise

“Rocky” & “Creed” fans worldwide showed up and out for the franchises latest installment.

According to reports, “Creed 3”, starring and directed by Michael B. Jordan, 36, has surpassed expectations, and crossed the $100 million threshold it’s premiere weekend.

Reportedly, the film – which was released this past Friday (March 3rd), garnered $58.7 million in North America and $41.8 million overseas, making it the biggest debut of the trilogy. The movie is reportedly playing in 75 territories, and top international markets include France, the U.K., and Germany. Reportedly, the film is set to open in Japan May 26th.

“Creed 3” has been receiving critical acclaim by movie goers and film critics alike, with many praising Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. The movie continues to follow the life of Adonis Creed (played by Jordan), as he settles into family life and faces an old acquaintance recently released from prison, played by Jonathan Majors. “Creed” is the continuation of the Oscar award winning franchise “Rocky”, created by and starring veteran actor Sylvester Stallone.

Up until the latest installment, Sylvester Stallone has remained an active character in all of the franchises movies. In total, the “Rocky” series spans over 9 films and 42 years with the first movie dropping in 1976. However, creative differences and an ongoing battle over the rights to his Rocky character reportedly kept Stallone from partcipating in the new film. Reportedly, the 76-year-old felt Jordan’s “dark” tone in the latest release was contradictory to what he historically does. He reportedly stated:

“It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy — Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s. I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness.”

Additionally, reports state that Stallone’s ongoing feud with producer Irwin Winkler played the largest part in his absence from the movie. Reportedly, the two have been at odds due to Winkler refusing to hand over the rights to the Rocky character. Stallone reportedly sold Rocky Balboa’s story during his time as an up and coming struggling actor, unaware of its potential. The award winning actor spoke about his situation with Winkler in a previous interview, reportedly stating:

“I have zero ownership of ‘Rocky…Every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault. It was shocking that it never came to be, but I was told, ‘Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?’ I was furious.”

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