Actual Brawls Break Out at ‘Creed III’ Screenings

Critics are really enjoying Creed III so far, but it also seems like maybe fans are getting into it a little too much. Fights have been breaking out at some Creed III showings across Europe.

While news sources are generally describing the whole phenomenon as a series of isolated incidents, there have definitely been more than you would expect upon hearing that description. French media has reported 12 or so separate incidents. Some theaters have even removed the film from their screening rotation entirely. At least three theaters in Germany have all reported full-on brawls breaking out during screenings of the film.

At Mégarama in St. Etienne, the fight became so widespread and aggressive that a security guard ended up with a head injury. Bottles, cans, and punches were thrown. That very same day, viral footage of a huge brawl was captured at Kinepolis in Thionville. Police showed up and forced around 500 people out of the cinema.

READ MORE: Every Rocky Reference in Creed III

Two people at Metropolis in Charleville-Mézières also found themselves inspired by the film in all the wrong ways. They were picked up by police and temporarily held. CinéCentre in Dreux decided to pull the film entirely as a result of “Inappropriate behavior”.

In Bremen, Hamburg, and Essen, similar fights broke out and screenings were promptly canceled. German authorities were so confused about the whole thing that they began to wonder whether or not the entire phenomenon could be a viral marketing campaign, or something instigated by social media. At this point, though, there’s no evidence for any of those theories being true.

Creed III hit theaters on March 3rd and is still screening.