Dwayne Johnson recently addressed the disappointing box office performance of “The Smashing Machine” by focusing on the personal impact the film had on his life and career.
The A24 drama, which premiered on October 3, opened to $5.9 million domestically from 3,345 venues. It marked the lowest opening weekend of Johnson’s career. The results fell significantly below projections of $8 million to $15 million, according to Variety.
Despite the underwhelming commercial reception, Johnson took to Instagram on Monday, October 6. He expressed gratitude and reflected on what the experience meant to him personally.
Focusing on What Can Be Controlled
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched ‘The Smashing Machine,’” Johnson wrote in his Instagram post. “In our storytelling world, you can’t control box office results â 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.”
The actor specifically thanked director Benny Safdie for believing in him for the role. “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director, Benny Safdie. Thank you brother for believing in me,” Johnson stated.
He concluded his message by highlighting the personal significance of the project. “Truth is this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy, DJ,” he wrote.
In “The Smashing Machine,” Johnson portrays Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC heavyweight champion whose career spanned from 1997 to 2009. The film chronicles Kerr’s professional highs and lows in mixed martial arts, including his struggles with substance abuse. Emily Blunt co-stars as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples. The story tracks their turbulent relationship amid the fighter’s rise and fall in the sport.
Critical Acclaim Despite Box Office Struggles
While the film struggled commercially, it received significant critical recognition. “The Smashing Machine” premiered at the Venice Film Festival to widespread acclaim, with Safdie winning the festival’s best director prize. Even critics who gave less favorable reviews to the overall film praised Johnson’s dramatic performance. Many frequently mentioned him as a potential Oscar contender for best actor.
The film currently holds a 73% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 235 verified critical reviews. It also maintains a 77% approval rating on the platform’s audience-generated popcornmeter, averaged across 250 user-submitted reviews.
The poor box office performance is a significant financial setback for A24. The studio spent $50 million on production and additional millions on promotional efforts, including festival appearances at Venice and Toronto. According to Deadline, the film could lose between $10 million and $15 million.
Johnson had previously opened up about his initial fears regarding the role. In August, he described the experience as “very real,” explaining to Variety: “I had not experienced that in a very, very, very long time, where I was really scared and thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. Can I do this?’ I realized that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff.”
The actor also discussed breaking away from the action roles that have defined much of his career. “The three of us have talked for a very long time about, when you’re in Hollywood – as we all know, it had become about box office. And you chase the box office, and the box office can be very loud, and it can become very resounding, and it can push you into a category and a corner. This is your lane and this is what you do and this is what Hollywood wants you to do,” Johnson explained.
“The Smashing Machine” landed in third place during its opening weekend. It fell behind Leonardo DiCaprio’s “One Battle After Another,” which earned $11 million in its second weekend, and Taylor Swift’s “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” movie, which topped the box office with $33 million.
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