Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, The Smashing Machine, has turned into one of the most disappointing box office stories of the year. Johnson stepped out of his usual action hero comfort zone to portray MMA fighter Mark Cerr, but the change did not resonate with audiences, and the numbers speak for themselves.
The Smashing Machine Box Office: Poor Earnings Despite Big Budget
After nearly two weeks in theatres, the movie has managed to earn just above $17.1 million worldwide against a massive $50 million budget, per Box Office Mojo. For breaking even, The Smashing Machine would require at least $125 million, which is now completely out of reach. The movie opened in over 3,300 theatres across North America, but the daily earnings have been underwhelming. In the first three days, it grossed more than $1 million per day, yet after that initial period, the daily domestic intake had dropped to only a few thousand dollars.
Even last weekend, when the film made over $2 million overall, it did not earn $1 million in a single day. Now, for a film led by a star of Johnson’s global stature, this is a stark underperformance. Internationally, the response was equally muted, contributing just 40% to the total gross despite Johnson’s global appeal. Despite this, the film managed to surpass the earnings of The Strangers: Chapter 2.
The Smashing Machine vs The Strangers: Chapter 2 – Box Office Comparison
Here’s a look at how the two films stack up against each other at the box office, with numbers retrieved via Box Office Mojo:
The Smashing Machine Box Office Summary
- Domestic – $10.1 million
- International – $6.9 million
- Worldwide – $17.1 million
The Strangers: Chapter 2 Box Office Summary
- Domestic – $14 million
- International – $2.5 million
- Worldwide – $16.6 million
While The Smashing Machine has managed to outgross The Strangers: Chapter 2 worldwide, the horror sequel continues to dominate domestically by nearly $4 million. This gap highlights the poor performance of Johnson’s sports biopic in North America. With its current trajectory, overtaking The Strangers sequel domestically seems complicated.
At this stage, the creators of The Smashing Machine can only hope for a small boost in earnings, possibly fueled by award season attention. But realistically, the film is heading toward a substantial financial loss as millions of dollars are likely to be written off, marking this project as one of the more prominent box office failures in Dwayne Johnson’s career. The story of The Smashing Machine is now more about its disappointing performance than any fight in the ring.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates and stories!
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