- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
'Creed III' punches its way to top of N.America box office
MGM's boxing drama "Creed III" scored an opening-round knockout this weekend, taking in an estimated $58.7 million to top North America's box office in one of the biggest debuts ever for a sports film.
That made first-time director Michael B. Jordan -- who again plays rock-hard boxer Apollo Creed -- the "undefeated box office champion," said industry analyst Exhibitor Relations.
"This opening is sensational," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Weekends like this are good news for the industry."
In this ninth film in the "Rocky" franchise -- the first without Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky Balboa role he created -- Creed comes out of retirement for a dramatic showdown against an old friend played by Jonathan Majors.
That makes this a pretty good weekend for Majors, the villain in Marvel and Disney's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which placed second for the Friday-through-Sunday period at $12.5 million. Paul Rudd stars as the title ant; Evangeline Lilly is the Wasp.
In third place was Universal's "Cocaine Bear" at $11 million. The horror comedy is based loosely on the true story of a black bear that wreaks havoc in the Tennessee woods after consuming a cache of lost cocaine. Keri Russell plays one of the locals caught up in the crazy.
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- To the Swordsmith Village," an anime sequel from Crunchyroll, placed fourth at $10.1 million. The previous "Demon Slayer" film last year had a record debut for a non-English language feature, taking in $19.5 million, Variety reported.
And in fifth was Lionsgate's Christian drama "Jesus Revolution," a story of a 1960s religious movement in California. It took in $8.7 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Avatar: The Way of Water" ($3.6 million)
"Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" ($3.2 million)
"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" ($2.7 million)
"Magic Mike's Last Dance" ($1.2 million)
"80 for Brady" ($845,000)
A.Mykhailo--CPN