CPXGF - 'Creed III' takes a swing at Marvel as it looks to claim movies' belt

Ant-Man had his time ruling the box office; now part of the venerable Rocky franchise is set to take a swing.

Creed III (United Artists/ NASDAQ: AMZN ) pounds its way into more than 4,000 theaters this weekend looking to boot Marvel hit Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ( NYSE: DIS ) from of the top spot for movie grosses. Michael B. Jordan plays boxer Adonis Creed, son of Rocky Balboa's rival Apollo Creed, and this time out gets into the director's chair as well.

The movie drew a healthy $5.5M in Thursday previews, and it's tracking to draw some $36M-$40M in ticket grosses over the weekend - suggesting it's set to top the third Ant-Man film, which saw a precipitous drop-off last weekend (its second) to land at just $32M.

Could either movie get a push from Cocaine Bear ( CMCSA )? The film pressed Ant-Man last weekend with a $24M opening and would have to build its audience to stay near the top, a tough ask in the current cinema climate.

Also opening wide over the weekend is Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre from director Guy Ritchie, star Jason Statham and Lions Gate ( NYSE: LGF.A ) ( NYSE: LGF.B ), though some uninspiring preview numbers suggest a single-digit disappointment might be on the way for the spy thriller.

That film might be topped by a new anime from Crunchyroll ( SONY ), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba: To the Swordsmith Village, which could make double-digit millions.

Cinema tickers: AMC Entertainment ( AMC ); Cineworld ( OTCPK:CNNWQ ); Cinemark ( CNK ); ( IMAX ); Marcus ( MCS ); Reading International ( RDI ); Cineplex ( CGX:CA ); National CineMedia ( NCMI ).

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