'Creed III' earns biggest domestic opening ever for sports movie

"Creed III" set a new record at the box office for sports movies in its opening weekend.

The ninth installment in the "Rocky" franchise grossed $58.6 million domestically over the weekend, making it the biggest opening for a sports movie in film history, according to Pamela McClintock of the Hollywood Reporter.

"Creed III" marks Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut. He also reprises his role as the titular character Adonis Creed, son of former world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed from the original "Rocky" movies. It's the first film in the series not to feature Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, but the actor was involved as a producer.

The previous box office opening record for a sports movie belonged to the 2010 remake of "The Karate Kid," which grossed $55.6 million.