Creed III” punched above its weight at the domestic box office in its first weekend in theaters.

Creed III” punched above its weight at the domestic box office in its first weekend in theaters. The MGM release knocked “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” out of first place and far surpassed both industry expectations and the opening weekends of the first two movies in the franchise.

Playing in 4,007 locations in North America, “Creed III” earned an estimated $58 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Going into the weekend, analysts expected the film to open in the $30 million range. The first “Creed” debuted to $29 million in 2015 and “Creed II” opened to $35 million in 2018.

Michael B. Jordan made his directorial debut with “Creed III,” which pits his character Adonis against a childhood friend, Dame, played by Jonathan Majors. It’s the first in the Rocky/Creed films to not feature Sylvester Stallone, who chose not to return because of creative differences.

Strong reviews helped “Creed III,” which is currently sitting at an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The audience was largely male (63%), diverse (36% Black, 28% Latino, 23% white and 13% Asian/other) and young (55% between 18 and 34) according to exit polls.

It’s also the most expensive “Creed” film, with a reported production budget of $75 million, compared to the others which cost $35 million and $50 million.

In an interview with The Associated Press before the film’s release, Jordan said that despite Stallone’s absence, the "Rocky" footprint is felt throughout the movie.

“The DNA in which, that started from 'Rocky,' you know, moving through, that’s throughout this franchise completely, you know, I think that the underdog tone and story that people love so much is throughout this entire film,” said Jordan. “One of those reasons, you know, is I think it appeals to the underdog in all of us. I think we all kind of tie into these movies to see characters that go through, you know, these heroic characters that go through, these obstacles and hardships that we all may be facing at one point in our lives.”

Jordan also touched on his new perspective and what he learned after a public breakup with socialite Lori Harvey that became fodder for tabloids and social media.

“Keeping stuff to yourself and keeping it private and learning, you know, when to talk and when not to talk,” said Jordan.

Will he continue to do that in the future?

“We'll see,” said Jordan.