The critics have spoken, and Michael B. Jordan's Creed III is officially certified fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. The threequel has scored an approval rating of 86% on the Tomatometer, performing wonderfully with most critics. It's doing even better with its audience score, which has landed at 96% upon the movie's premiere. It would seem that filmgoers are having a great time with Creed III with this near-perfect score.
"Creed III is a fantastic sports drama and probably the best heavyweight fight we’re gonna see all year," says Julian Lytle of Geek Girl Riot.
"Jordan, as director, delivers a captivating blend of explosive energy and melodramatic intensity; he sharpens the stark lines of conflict with keen attention to performance... and a controlled, storm-like feeling of moods building to crises," says the New Yorker's Richard Brody.
"The script throws out a couple of surprises that Jordan handles deftly and carefully as the film’s director," reads another review by George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal. "Creed III, however, is a boxing movie, and he handles that aspect effectively as well with well-choreographed action and building tension."
There's a lot of praise in the reviews that have been given to Jonathan Majors, who plays the antagonist opposite Michael B. Jordan. Katie Walsh of the L.A. Times says, "What Jordan does best as star, director and producer is showcase Majors’ heavyweight performance, cementing him as one of our brightest stars. Taking over a behind-the-scenes role is a part of the “Rocky” legacy, and Jordan takes the reins with ease."
And our own Julian Roman was particularly impressed with the performance of Majors as well, noting in his MovieWeb review, "Every film I review with Majors has me exalting his virtues. He's continuously damn good in every aspect. Dame is a physical juggernaut who's devious and forlorn at the same time. Majors' performance shines above the written dialogue. A lessor actor wouldn't have been as believable."
Creed III Is Striking Well at Theaters
The film is expected to have a pretty solid opening weekend with projections ranging from $36 million to $40 million. Should it reach that $36 million number, it would set the new record for the highest opening weekend for a film in the Rocky franchise. This kind of box office success, coupled with the good reviews, will practically guarantee that Creed 4 will happen. Jordan has already said he's interested in keeping the story of Adonis Creed moving with a fourth installment of the Rocky spinoff series.
"I just want to expand the Creed-verse within reason, but definitely expect other things around Creed for sure," he told IGN.
Michael B. Jordan directs Creed III using a screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. The film stars Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, and Mila Davis-Kent.
Creed III is now playing in movie theaters.