Dwayne Johnson’s New Movie Marks the Lowest Opening of His Career
Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, The Smashing Machine, has officially hit theaters, but its box office numbers are not what anyone expected.
The sports drama opened to $6 million in its first weekend in the U.S., marking the lowest opening of Johnson’s entire acting career.
The movie, directed and written by Benny Safdie, tells the story of real-life mixed martial artist and wrestler Mark Kerr. Johnson takes on the lead role, with Emily Blunt playing Kerr’s girlfriend, Dawn Staples. The film also features Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk in supporting roles.
Produced by A24 with a reported budget of $50 million, The Smashing Machine first premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 1. It received strong critical attention there, and Safdie even won the Silver Lion award for Best Director. After its festival success, the film was released in U.S. theaters on October 3.
Exclusive clip from Benny Safdie’s ‘THE SMASHING MACHINE’, starring Dwayne Johnson.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 25, 2025
In theaters on October 3. pic.twitter.com/Eb8OgfXvwq
Despite positive early buzz, the movie’s theatrical debut fell short of expectations. It earned only $850,000 from Thursday previews before the weekend opening. According to Variety and Box Office Mojo, the total domestic launch reached just $6 million.
While the box office numbers may be disappointing, critics have praised Johnson’s performance.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 213 reviews were positive, with the site’s critics consensus reading: “Dwayne Johnson goes the distance with his transformative turn as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count.”
Metacritic gave the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 53 critic reviews, signaling “generally favorable” reactions. Audience scores were a bit more mixed, with CinemaScore giving the movie a “B-” grade.
The Smashing Machine focuses on the darker side of professional fighting and the emotional struggles of a man trying to balance fame, addiction, and identity. For Johnson, who is known for larger-than-life action roles, this was a major step away from his usual blockbuster image.
Even though the film’s earnings don’t reflect a major hit, Johnson’s performance has been recognized as one of his most challenging and transformative roles yet.
It remains to be seen whether word of mouth and international box office numbers can help boost the movie’s overall performance in the coming weeks.
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