The Smashing Machine, a passion project for Dwayne Johnson, has taken a hard hit at the box office, opening to just $6 million domestic — the lowest opening weekend of his career.
Lowest Opening Ever for Dwayne Johnson
Despite Johnson’s tireless promotion and massive reach on social media, the R-rated MMA drama failed to find an audience. Originally projected to open in the $15–20 million range, The Smashing Machine collapsed with a $6M weekend and a weak B- CinemaScore. The Rotten Tomatoes Scores are also mediocre at 73% from critics and 77% from fans.
This suggests the film missed both its core UFC audience and the broader adult specialty crowd.
A Passion Project Since 2019
Johnson first announced the film at UFC 244 back in 2019. He plays UFC heavyweight Mark Kerr, whose real-life struggles with addiction and personal relationships are central to the film. Directed by Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine premiered to a 15-minute standing ovation at Venice and boasts a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score.
However, the film’s slow pace and untraditional narrative — not quite a sports underdog story, nor a dramatic fall-from-grace arc — left general audiences cold.
$10M–$15M Loss Expected
A24 financed the film for a net $50 million, factoring in tax credits and foreign pre-sales. With a domestic total likely to cap between $14M–$20M, the film is expected to lose $10–$15 million. A24’s backend deals, including with HBO Max and international partners, may soften the blow, but the film will still bleed money.
Johnson took a $4 million fee — far below his usual $20M+ — and even shared part of his paycheck with Emily Blunt and Mark Kerr.
Poor Marketing and Timing
Insiders via Deadline blame A24’s marketing strategy. Despite late pushes on ESPN and during the MLB Playoffs, the campaign may have come too late to compete with bigger studio rollouts. Even Johnson’s own fanbase seemed unaware or uninterested.
The Smashing Machine also lost premium screens to Taylor Swift’s surprise concert film, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, which dominated the weekend.
Wrestling Movie Ceiling
The film’s box office is comparable to other wrestling-themed dramas:
- The Iron Claw (2023): $35M total
- The Wrestler (2008): $26.2M total
- Foxcatcher (2014): $12M total
In that context, The Smashing Machine sits above average, but the expectations were higher due to Johnson’s star power.
A Setback, But Not the End
This isn’t Johnson’s first art-house flop. His 2006 film Southland Tales grossed under $300K. But bigger projects are on the horizon. He’ll return to box office form with Moana (July 2026) and Jumanji 3 (December 2026).
Johnson responded on social media, saying:
“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… Truth is this film has changed my life.”
