Creed 3 has smashed a box office opening weekend record in just a single day. The film, which opened on March 3, is the third film in the Creed franchise, which itself is a spin-off of the long-running boxing franchise Rocky. Michael B. Jordan, who stars as the boxing champion Adonis Creed, reprised his role for this entry which was also his directorial debut. Also on hand in the film’s ensemble cast is Jordan’s Marvel Cinematic Universe compatriot Jonathan Majors (who plays the villain Kang, most recently seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), as well as Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad.
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Per Deadline, the opening day of Creed 3 already raked in a domestic box office gross of $22 million. Not only is the film well on its way to the strongest opening weekend of the franchise, it has broken a theatrical record for Amazon Studios, which recently acquired the film’s parent company MGM. In just a single day, the film has had the highest opening weekend for any film that Amazon has put in theaters.

Related: Creed 3’s Adonis vs Dame Winner Explained

Creed Isn’t the Only MGM Franchise Amazon Could Use to Dominate the Box Office

Amazon Studios has previously been known for smaller releases more oriented toward awards eligibility including the 2016 Oscar winner Manchester by the Sea. The previous record holder for opening weekend was the 2017 comedy The Big Sick starring Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani, which grossed $7.56 million in a single weekend. Not only does Creed 3 signal a shift in Amazon’s overall release strategy, it is likely a shot across the bow of the box office announcing their arrival into the big leagues.

Now that they have access to the MGM library, Amazon Studios will likely continue to put out franchise blockbusters in an attempt to recreate this weekend’s success. So far, the franchises that seem ripe for the picking are numerous. They include RoboCop, G.I. Joe, and Jump Street.

Other franchises that they technically have access to include Legally Blonde, James Bond, and The Addams Family, which already have other projects that are either running or in development. It seems unlikely that Amazon Studios will throw a wrench into the upcoming Legally Blonde 3 despite it being trapped in production hell. They will probably also let Netflix’s Wednesday breathe, though they are already most likely looking for the next Creed 3 in their vast catalog.

More: Creed 3’s Most Heartbreaking Scene Makes Rocky’s Absence Even Worse

Source: Deadline