- Career-Worst Debut: Dwayne Johnson’s drama “The Smashing Machine” opened with a shocking $6 million, a career-low for the star and a massive financial blow.
- Audience Confusion: The film struggled to find its audience, marketed as an arthouse drama but attracting Johnson’s typical action fanbase who were then left disappointed.
- Financial Disaster: With a $50 million production budget, the A24 film is on track to lose tens of millions, failing to generate the necessary buzz for a wide release.
- Negative Word-of-Mouth: Poor audience scores, including a “B-” CinemaScore, cratered interest and caused opening weekend projections to plummet from $17 million to just $6 million.
Dwayne Johnson’s Gamble Fails Spectacularly
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s attempt at a gritty, dramatic turn in “The Smashing Machine” was met with a brutal knockout at the box office. The R-rated sports biopic about UFC champion Mark Kerr earned a disastrous $6 million in its debut weekend, marking a career-worst opening for one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. The dismal figure spells trouble for studio A24, which now stands to lose millions on its hefty $50 million investment.
A Film Without an Audience
A central reason for the failure was a severe identity crisis. A24 positioned the film as a prestigious, awards-contending drama, even premiering it at the Venice Film Festival to a lengthy standing ovation. However, the marketing failed to connect with the intended arthouse demographic.
Instead, the film primarily attracted Johnson’s usual fanbase of younger men, who likely expected a high-octane action film and were left unsatisfied by the gritty, emotional drama. This disconnect is reflected in the weak “B-” CinemaScore from exiting audiences, proving that the moviegoers who did show up weren’t impressed with what they saw.
A High-Stakes Bet Gone Wrong
The film’s $50 million budget, largely driven by Johnson’s star power, made it an incredibly risky venture for a sports drama—a genre that historically performs poorly overseas. As poor word-of-mouth spread, box office tracking collapsed. Initial projections of a respectable $17 million debut were slashed repeatedly, first to $8 million and finally settling at a catastrophic $6 million. The lack of a “must-see” cultural moment meant that even festival buzz couldn’t save it from becoming a certified box office bomb.
Image Referance: https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/smashing-machine-flops-dwayne-johnson-box-office-1236540588/