Of the eight films released since the franchise launched in 1976, no film in the Rocky series has yet debuted theatrically in China. However, it looks like that will soon change, as Creed II will make its way to the Middle Kingdom in January, 2019.

According to Variety, Creed II will release in China on Jan. 4, 2019, a first for a film in the Rocky franchise. It's unclear from the article why exactly the sequel to 2015's Creed will be the first film in the franchise to release. MGM Executive Vice-President Jose Gutierrez commented on the release, saying, “Creed II brings one of the most iconic movie franchises to China cinema for the first time."

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Although none of the films have screened theatrically, the movies are available through other means.

Creed II has earned $134 million at the worldwide box office so far. However, the Chinese market has become increasingly important over the years, and it seems entirely possible that the film's totals in that country could cause the sequel to earn a lot more money. Still, Creed II continues to lag behind its predecessor, which earned $173 million worldwide.

Since the film's debut, Sylvester Stallone has indicated that the film will mark his final appearance as Rocky Balboa.

Creed II is directed by Stephen Caple Jr. (The Land) from a script written by Sylvester Stallone and Juel Taylor. The film stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad. The film is out in theaters everywhere now.

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