Sylvester Stallone has a long-running beef with a man that bought the rights to Rocky Balboa in 1976, when he was a struggling actor. That original movie was made for about $1 million. And it went on to make nearly $300 million at the box office, according to a report I read. Franchise producer Irwin Winkler is not giving up his prize, even if he took advantage of Sly when he was a young buck. Sly does get paid off it, but only a fraction of what he would if he owned it. And here lies the back story of “Creed III.” This is the first movie in Rocky franchise history that does not feature Rocky Balboa. This movie is definitively about Adonis Creed.
That said: the Michael B. Jordan-directed “Creed III” has broken box office sales records for ALL SPORTS MOVIES. This includes Rocky flicks too. The movie made $58.6 million over the weekend. Shout out to Jonathan Majors, writer Ryan Coogler and MBJ. They are a powerful force that I think will continue to grow in Hollyweird. That said: Sly may never come back to the franchise or he comes back negotiating weak! I do hope he eventually returns, but he better get right with MBJ. The pair had creative differences in addition to the beef with Winkler.
I am seeing a number of rumors on the internet. 1) The Creed franchise will continue past this third iteration. Creed 1 & 2 made hundreds of millions so it is a bankable brand. 2) The next Creed will likely stray further into uncharted waters, as his daughter is looking like somebody of interest. 3) MBJ, Majors and Coogler are probably going to make for a dynamic force in entertainment, as they have already revealed some of those plans. It is an exciting time. 4) Creed 4 is definitely coming.
READ OUR REVIEW: “Creed III” Transcends Tradition As An Action-Packed, Emotional Knockout Of A Movie
Lastly, I think Rocky returns to the franchise in one of these movies. I do not know how many Creed movies they will make.
If you have not seen it, go see Creed III!