Why It Ranks
Creed III proved the franchise thrives without Rocky. Jordan's directorial debut is confident. Majors is a magnetic villain. The anime-inspired fight choreography is fresh and inventive. It became the highest-grossing entry in the entire franchise.
The Film
Creed III marks Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut and the first Rocky/Creed film without Sylvester Stallone. Jonathan Majors brings simmering menace as Damian, a childhood friend turned rival whose prison sentence was partly Adonis's fault. Jordan directs the fight sequences with anime-inspired stylization, creating the most visually inventive boxing scenes in franchise history. The film grossed $276M — the highest in the entire Rocky/Creed franchise.
Fun Facts
Michael B. Jordan cited anime, particularly Naruto and Dragon Ball Z, as visual influences for the fight scenes.
Jonathan Majors trained intensively in boxing, building his physique to an intimidating level.
It is the first Rocky-universe film not to feature Sylvester Stallone in any capacity.
The film opened to the best debut weekend of any Rocky/Creed film.
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