CREED II (Steven Caple, Jr., 2018)

[Jox]

A batch of new behind the scenes and film stills released for press
https://www.socialnews.xyz/2018/11/09/c ... hd-stills/

Posting the ones with Dolph here, but there are more:



















Press junket:

[Jox]

Creed II exclusive: Michael B. Jordan looks ready for battle in new poster (UK)
http://loaded.co.uk/creed-ii-exclusive/ ... IbZPtr2ygY

[Jox]

Featurette: Adonis

[Jox]

‘Creed II’ Soundtrack Includes Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Nicki Minaj, Nas, More
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... ll-754850/

Creed II: The Album Track List
Lil Wayne – “Amen (Pre Fight Prayer)”
Bon Iver – “Do You Need Power? (Walk Out Music)”
Crime Mobb & Slim Jxmmi – “We Can Hit (Round 1)”
Eearz, Schoolboy Q & 2 Chainz – “Kill ‘Em With Success”
Nas & Rick Ross – “Check”
Young Thug & Swae Lee – “Fate”
Ari Lennox & J. Cole – “Shea Butter Baby”
Pharrell & Kendrick Lamar – “The Mantra”
Rae Sremmurd & Kodak Black – “Watching Me”
Eearz, Gucci Mane, YG, Trouble, Quavo & Juicy J – “F.I.G.H.T.”
A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg & Nicki Minaj – “Runnin”
Tessa Thompson & Gunna – “Midnight”
Ama Lou – “Bless Me (Demo)”
Vince Staples – “Ice Cold (Final Round)”
Ella Mai – “Love Me Like That (Champion Love)”

Belgium press photos

[Jox]

For more Dolph interviews check-in at the INTERVIEWS thread below:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1308&start=1290#p45227


First reactions
https://forums.boxofficetheory.com/topi ... nt-3654275


New box-office long range tracking:
$34 million 3-day week-end; $114 million total domestic
https://pro.boxoffice.com/long-range-tr ... cape-room/

[Jox]

Great interview:

[Jox]

The contender from CLE: Director Steven Caple Jr. battles for a Hollywood title with ‘Creed II’
https://www.cleveland.com/expo/life-and ... recto.html













NYC World premiere last night

[Jox]

[Jox]

Ivan Drago promo video
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNkFE5HYVg/
https://twitter.com/creedmovie/status/1 ... 1282063360





EDIT:

[Jox]

[GeneralMcFaiL]

Looks like Dolph is havin' a lot of fun... great to see. Hopefully this is yet again a new beginning for him as we thought with the expendables. If both this and Aquaman continue to track well he's going to have one of his best years ever professionally.

[Jox]

Creed II: The Album now available on streaming / download services
https://www.amazon.com/Creed-II-Mike-Wi ... 07KFV9NX7/

[Jox]

First reviews are in!
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqOQg ... id=US%3Aen

They're positive overall, and it sounds like Dolph will stand out in his dramatic interpretation of Ivan Drago! Trade publications Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are, as expected, the more reserved to say the least.

Beware of potential spoilers if you choose to read the full reviews before having seen the film.

Joblo
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/review-creed-ii

The Drago's, both Ivan (Lundgren) and Viktor (Munteanu) are an even bigger surprise. If you're going into this looking for straight villains, well, you won't find it here. These are two men looking to be redeemed in the biggest way and face their own pain and confusion in trying to get it. The father-son relationship is explored in a much deeper way than you may expect and you come to appreciate their dilemma so much so that you may be conflicted in who to root for by the end of the film, particularly when we get another surprise visit that rocks their world. I found myself feeling for the Drago's, yet still feeling for Creed as well. It's a wonderful dynamic and creates the kind of tension you want in a ROCKY/CREED film.

‘Creed II’ Is Another Triumphant Legacy-Focused Title Bout With Tons Of Heart
https://theplaylist.net/creed-ii-review-20181116/

“Creed II” is exactly what you want from a ‘Rocky’/’Creed’ film: it’s engaging, emotional, gripping, and entertaining and as a part two nudges the characters forward in all the right ways. At the very least, “Creed 2” should act as friendly reminder and benchmark for genre films, hopeful sequels, and even aspiring athletes: we’re not going to give a shit about that knockout punch to the teeth if you haven’t put in the work first.

'Creed II' review: Near-remake of 'Rocky IV' is a solid sports drama
https://tech2.org/creed-ii-review-near- ... rts-drama/

That mix of old stories and new characters worked wonderfully in the first "Creed," and serves this movie well, too. It's great to see the grizzly, grindly Lundgren back on screen, and the movie gives Ivan an empathetic back story of national disgrace, exile and a wife (Brigitte Nielsen, also back!) who left him after his humiliating loss to Rocky Balboa.

‘CREED II’ REVIEW: THE ROCKY SERIES IS STILL NOT DOWN FOR THE COUNT
http://screencrush.com/creed-2-review/

And Caple does a nice job turning Lundgren’s Drago from a sentient pile of granite into a multidimensional person with relatable goals and mountains of baggage of his own.
Without the work put into the Dragos, the notion of the son of Apollo fighting the son of Ivan could be pretty hokey. Thankfully, Ivan and Viktor are way more fleshed out than any of the Russians were in Rocky IV. Drago has very understandable reasons for training his son and wanting a fight with Donnie, and Lundgren brings genuine pathos to his scenes where he wrestles with his decisions. (Munteanu doesn’t get many lines — just like his pops in Rocky IV — but his eyes are weirdly soulful.) By the end of the film, Ivan Drago seems like less of a villain than a tragic adversary — maybe even a Shakespearean one.

Creed II review – Rocky saga continues with knockout sequel
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/n ... l-b-jordan

The choice to bring back Drago and introduce his son does pay off in a number of ways, from a restrained turn from Lundgren to an impactful overarching theme of how fathers, living or dead, haunt us all.
(...)

Given the never-ending production line of lazy inferior sequels, it’s such a joy to encounter one that feels necessary. Elevated by a central trio of winning performances and a director who provides equal weight to drama in and out of the ring, Creed II deserves to be cheered.

‘Creed II’ Is A Direct Sequel To ‘Rocky IV’ That Works Shockingly Well
https://uproxx.com/movies/creed-ii-review/

If Creed is a spiritual sequel to the first Rocky, then Creed II is a direct spiritual sequel to Rocky IV. And, dammit, they pulled it off.

There’s a lot going on in Creed II, more than a movie featuring Ivan Drago really ever needed to have. But at its core, Creed II is about family. It’s about Adonis Creed’s relationship with Bianca and his continuing reconciliation with Apollo. It’s about Ivan Drago and his son, and where the line is drawn when it comes to personal redemption. And it’s about Rocky, struggling with the very few people he has left who he considers “family.” For a movie that features a dramatic fight between people with the last name Creed and Drago, it’s strangely sad and reflective.

Creed II can’t match the impact of its predecessor, but lands some powerful blows
https://film.avclub.com/creed-ii-can-t- ... 1830476510

Then again, a 2018 movie called Creed II expanding on Rocky IV to become one of the better Rocky movies may be another minor miracle on its own.

Den of Geek
https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/cre ... -ii-review

And somewhat refreshingly, the Dragos are not portrayed as cartoon villains; the dynamic between an understated and effective Lundgren and the perpetually scowling Monteanu conveys an abyss of genuine shame and emotional longing that neither man seems able to bridge.

Creed II goes the distance, but stumbles along the way
https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/16/1809 ... l-b-jordan

Lundgren’s ability to give Ivan depth is especially impressive given how cartoonish the character was in Rocky IV (and the fact that Ivan is, you know, a murderer).

Creed II Is a Throwback to an Older Kind of Sequel
https://slate.com/culture/2018/11/creed ... ordan.html

Variety
https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/c ... 203030471/

Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/revie ... ew-1161754



EDIT:
The orchestral score is available on streaming/download as well, hoping for a CD release to follow...
https://www.amazon.com/Creed-Original-M ... 07KGNWKP5/

[bomaz]

It's gonna a pain not to read anything about the movie until january (what a poor move from the french distributor, the movie will already be available online by then ).

[Jox]

They follow the same November/January dates as for almost all if not all the ROCKY movies...