Creed 4 could break a Rocky franchise record if it continues a particular trend. The Rocky movie franchise looked like it had wrapped up with Rocky Balboa. Sylvester Stallone has stated this 2006 sequel is the movie he’s the proudest of, as it redeemed the franchise after the lackluster fifth film, and it’s the outing that is the most personal to him. Nearly a decade later, the first Creed movie, starring Stallone and Michael B. Jordan, proved there was plenty of life left in the property.
The Creed series hasn’t received the same levels of acclaim as the Rocky films, but they have the right mix of respect for the past while bringing the franchise into the present. Jordan’s Adonis is also a great protagonist, and audiences have invested in his journey to move out from under his father’s legacy to form his own. Creed III’s ending could have served as a fitting finale, but Creed 4 is already being planned.
Creed 4: Confirmation & Everything We Know So Far
With Michael B. Jordan expressing interest in expanding the franchise and making Creed 4, here’s everything we know so far.
Every Creed Movie So Far Has Made Way More At The Box Office Than The Previous One
The Creed movies just keep getting bigger
Those keeping track of box office results may have noted that each entry in the Creed saga has earned more than the last. Ryan Coogler’s first entry earned around $174 million worldwide, while Creed II later nabbed $214 million. Creed III continued this box-office trend by grabbing $275 million in 2023. In short, the popularity of the series continues to grow, and Creed 4 is practically guaranteed to become a success.
Jordan is also set to return as the director of the fourth entry and seemingly has many ideas about how to keep the saga fresh. What’s not known is if Stallone will return as Rocky, following his “retirement” in the second film. In recent years, Stallone has made his feud with franchise producer Irwin Winkler public, which is partly why he refused to return for Creed III.
Audiences would love to see both the actor and Rocky return – which would only make Creed 4 a bigger event – but there would likely need to be a lot of private negotiations before that happened. Regardless, the third Creed was the biggest to date and underlined the series doesn’t necessarily need Rocky to succeed.
If Creed’s Trend Continues, Then Creed 4 Will Be The Highest Grossing Rocky Movie
Creed still has a long way to go to top Rocky’s success
It doesn’t take a math wizard to see that if Creed 4 continues the franchise’s box-office trajectory, it could be the biggest of the entire series. It’s tricky to see where Adonis’ boxing career could go following the third film, but Jordan and the producers clearly have a good story in mind. Creed III inched real close to the $300 million mark, which is a target the next sequel could very well surpass.
This would bring it on par with Stallone’s biggest sequel Rocky IV, where the titular boxer fought Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago. 1985 was Stallone’s biggest year as a movie star, with both Rambo 2 and Rocky IV earning over $300 million worldwide. Time will tell if Creed 4 matches that tally, but it would really need to sink in audience estimations to fall below that.
How Creed’s Box Office Compares To The Rocky Movies
Rocky is still the box-office champ
Comparing Creed III’s box office to the Rocky saga is a tricky business. The latter began in the late ’70s when the movie business was very different from the present day. That makes direct comparisons difficult, especially when inflation is taken into account. The first Rocky was released in 1976, transforming Stallone from a struggling actor/screenwriter to an overnight movie star. The first made $117 million, which translates to an eye-watering $630 million in 2023. Rocky II was expected to flop but instead made a healthy $85 million (AKA $373 million in 2023 money).
Rocky III was another major earner for Stallone – who directed the second, third and fourth entries – and took home $124 million; that comes to almost $394 million in 2023. Rocky IV made $128 million in the U.S., and in 2023 that’s a pretty respectable $362 million. Rocky V was the biggest disappointment (in more ways than one) with $41 million in 1990, but that’s still close to $100 million in 2023 figures. Finally, Rocky Balboa made $156 million worldwide in 2006.
By any metric available, Creed III was a total success, but when measured against the original movies, it still pales compared to any Rocky outing not called Rocky V. Creed 4 will only push the series fortunes higher, but the incredible success of the first Rocky will likely remain out of reach.
