Hollywood's Creed franchise makes a statement - and tons of money

It's an underdog tale for the twenty-first century, says Los Angeles.

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In many respects, the Creed series is a Hollywood miracle. Although it is a successful spinoff of the adored, long-running Rocky series, it has its own contemporary aesthetic and sensibility.

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Yet by showcasing Black talent on both sides of the camera, it has subverted a longstanding white working-class mythos while paying tribute to the hero and the tales that served as its foundation.

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Warner Bros'  impending "Creed III," which is scheduled to hit theaters on March 3, also sees its star actor grab the reins as director, a step also done by Sylvester Stallone in 1979 with the release of "Rocky II."

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Mr. Michael B. Jordan has worked on some incredible movies and television shows, and I've always maintained that the best place to learn about filmmaking is on the set, according to Shawn Edwards, a co-founder of the African American Film Critics Association and a member of the board of the Critics Choice Association. "I believe [he] was going to jump in front of the camera at some point," the author said.

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Ryan Coogler, who wrote and directed the first Creed movie, as well as Steven Caple Jr., who directed the second, paved Jordan's path to the director's chair. Jordan was in Coogler's first movie, "Fruitvale Station," which was still in development when Stallone was approached about a Creed spinoff.

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He finally converted him after a number of years. Stallone co-wrote the "Creed II" screenplay and co-starred in the first two films. Stallone denied CNBC's request for a comment and was not engaged with the third Creed movie.

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The 2015 movie "Creed" focused on Adonis, Rocky's lifelong foe and then buddy Apollo Creed's son. The narrative focused on the life of an orphaned youngster who struggled with his own underdog tale while attempting to follow in his father's footsteps and fight in the ring while living in the shadow of a boxing great.

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The original Rocky films were centered on a so-called "ham-and-egger" from Philadelphia's white working-class rough streets who eventually became the heavyweight champion. "Creed" replicated many of the narrative cues from those films.

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But, the new series also touched on problems related to Black life and Black manhood.

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Brandy Monk-Payton, a professor at Fordham University who specializes in Black media representation, said that it is encouraging to see this focus shift away from the conventional ways in which we typically consider Black representation in terms of the past and historical struggles against oppression and discrimination. "I believe they are ingrained in how [the movie's protagonists] travel around the world. But at the same time, the story's main focus is not on it. The protagonist of the story is this regular guy who eventually experiences difficulty and success.

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According to industry insiders and experts, that kind of story can only be presented when Black artists are involved in the creative process and have senior positions within studios.

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One of the foremost Black directors in theater and television, Sheldon Epps, claimed that he didn't start noticing a change in Hollywood's diversity until about ten years ago.

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I've been around long enough to have been one of the few, or one of the only, Black directors or leaders of an artistic institution in some circumstances, he said. "I was, tragically, the only one on some of the television shows I've done, like 'Friends' and 'Frasier,' in certain years.

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Epps claimed that this altered as more Black filmmakers, such as Paris Barclay of "Cold Case," "The West Wing," and Eric Laneuville of "Lost," were chosen to lead hour-long dramatic television programs. In addition, he mentioned Black creatives like Ava DuVernay as examples of people who attained success and then used it to inspire others. There was a rule that only female directors may be hired to work on DuVernay's "Queen Sugar" series.

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"More artists of color should participate in the process of telling stories, not just making them, but also writing them," Epps said. "It broadens the canvas." Because the stories are being written from within those worlds, we are receiving a much, much larger image of all of the diverse populations in our country, as opposed to only getting a restricted view of Black people, Latino people, or Asian people.

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Also, films with Black protagonists sell more tickets.

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During its theatrical release last year, "The Woman King" made close to $100 million worldwide, and Coogler's two "Black Panther" movies, released under the Marvel label, collectively made more than $2 billion at the international box office.

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Data from Comscore shows that "Creed" and "Creed II" both made more over $100 million at the domestic box office. Also, it's anticipated that the third movie would make between $25 million and $35 million during its opening weekend.

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Rolando Rodriguez, chairman of the National Association of Theatre Owners, stated, "It's enlarged the audience." The Hispanic and African American communities are "brought out with a unique added vigor."

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Although making up 13% of the population, Rodriguez claims that Black moviegoers will account for 20% to 22% of all ticket sales for "Creed III," while Hispanic moviegoers account for 25% to 28% of ticket sales while making up about 19% of the population.

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He noted that other demographic groups will still attend the movie, so it's not a replacement of those viewers, saying, "It really helps the overall movie because it's not taking away from other audiences."

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It's fantastic to see some of these varied films where these young people can actually see themselves on the screen being portrayed as prominent actors and actresses, Rodriguez continued. "That you have the potential to become someone who could eventually become a CEO or a movie star, producer, or director... It, in my opinion, conveys a crucial social message.