Dwayne Johnson brought his new movie, The Smashing Machine, to cinemas this past weekend, but despite being the most impressive performance of his career and his first real Oscar contender. Despite that, the Benny Safdie-directed Mark Kerr biopic hit the mat this past weekend with a box office of just under $6 million domestically – less than half its projected haul of $15 million. In response, the actor has broken his silence with a candid assessment of the movie’s flop status.
In a post on Instagram, Johnson took the hit on the chin, noting that “you can’t control box office results.” What is more, is that he has not allowed the performance of the movie to impact what he has taken from playing Kerr on screen in a movie that he said had changed his life. He wrote:
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine. In our storytelling world, you can’t control box office results — but what I realized you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere. And I will always run to that opportunity. It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie @bowedtie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth is this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy.”
Dwayne Johnson Has Given His Best Performance In a Movie That Never Had Box Office Potential
If there is one thing that Dwayne Johnson does not lack, it is confidence. Having appeared in many panned blockbusters over the years, The Smashing Machine was a very different kind of movie. A biographical drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr is a pitch that has a very niche cinematic reach, and in a time when even big special effects-laden movies that beg to be seen on the big screen can struggle to get audiences flocking to theaters, it is possibly not surprising that the movie did not manage to hit its expected opening weekend total.
Even though the outcome was always likely, it clearly did not impact what Johnson threw into the role. As an actor who had made his name in movies featuring big action set-pieces and more style than substance, The Smashing Machine is a movie that was never going to be on the radar of many of Johnson’s usual fans. However, it does put him in line for several prestigious awards nominations, and the film will likely find an audience when it lands on streaming in the coming months.
With Johnson clearly happy with how the movie turned out, if not the financial result, it seems likely that if the option of appearing in another role that shows off his acting range and not just his ability to dodge and shoot bullets comes up, he will leap at the chance. The Smashing Machine is playing now in cinemas for those who have simply not had the chance to catch it yet.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2025
- Runtime
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123 minutes
- Director
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Benny Safdie