‘The Smashing Machine’ Becomes Dwayne Johnson’s Worst Box Office Opening With $5.9 Million
Courtesy of A24.
Dwayne Johnson faced the lowest box office debut of his career with ‘The Smashing Machine,’ the A24 drama that opened to a modest $5.9 million domestically. Despite the disappointing numbers, the actor is responding with gratitude rather than frustration.
On Instagram, Johnson reflected on the film’s underperformance, writing that “you can’t control box office results” but emphasizing the value of his experience working with director Benny Safdie, who he says profoundly impacted his life through this project. Johnson portrays MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the film.
“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. Thank you brother for believing in me.”
The film landed in third place at the box office, bringing in $5.9 million from 3,345 locations—well below initial projections of $8–15 million. The debut also marked a career low for Johnson, dipping beneath the opening of his 2010 action thriller ‘Faster’ ($8.5 million, not adjusted for inflation). The result is also a setback for A24, which invested $50 million in production and spent millions more on marketing, including high-profile premieres at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.
‘The Smashing Machine’ still earned strong critical praise at Venice, where Safdie won Best Director. Even some of the more mixed reviews singled out Johnson’s transformative performance, which has already been mentioned as a serious Oscar contender for Best Actor.
In the film, Johnson portrays two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr, starring opposite Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples. The drama follows their turbulent relationship through the highs and lows of Kerr’s MMA career, including his battles with substance abuse. Kerr, a prominent mixed martial artist from 1997 to 2009, won four ADCC World Championships during his career.
‘The Smashing Machine’ is currently playing in global theaters.
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