Box Office: ‘Creed 3’ Sets Franchise Record With Huge $58 Million Debut

“Creed III” emerged victorious at the box office with its impressive $58.7 million debut, setting a franchise record while dethroning two-time champ “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”The film kicked off internationally with $41.8 million, bringing its global tally to a knockout $100.4 million.It’s also a big win for theater owners, who are banking on the good fortunes to continue in March with upcoming releases “Scream VI,” “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.” Overall ticket sales are 37% ahead of the same point in 2022, according to Comscore.Heading into the weekend, “Creed III” was projected to earn $36 million to $40 million, which already would have been enough to establish a new high-water mark. The first “Creed,” which re-launched the decades-old “Rocky” films in 2015, powered to $29.6 million, while its 2018 sequel “Creed II” opened to $35.5 million.But the third installment, directed by series star Michael B. Jordan in his feature filmmaking debut,...