Creed III so far is pulling its weight as it has already grossed $5.45 million in previews between Wednesday and Thursday nights. This puts the Warner Bros. movie in a strong position heading into its opening weekend, as it expects to punch in between $36M and $40M.

That is the most raised in previews of any movie in the Rocky spinoff franchise. When Creed opened on Thanksgiving eve in 2015, it raised $1.4 million. While Creed II pulled in $3.6 over its preview run in November 2018. This gives Creed III the unanimous decision out of the blockbuster trilogy. The first two grossed $173.6 million and $214.1 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, the first Creed film earned $29.6 million over its debut weekend. Creed II fared better with $35.5 million. If projections hold, Creed III shows the public’s increasing appetite for the blood sports spinoff.

This will be franchise star Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. In the trilogy, Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of heavyweight champion Apollo (played by Carl Weathers in the Rocky movies). Creed III brings back unsettled business from Adonis’ childhood as he prepares to fight Damien (played by Jonathan Majors). The two former friends fell out when Damien was arrested as a teenager, and two decades later, the only thing standing between Damien and redemption is Adonis.

The film will compete against Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – another third franchise installment – and fellow newcomer Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre for this weekend’s box office title.