Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, ‘The Smashing Machine’, opened in U.S. theaters with 5.9 million dollars in ticket sales during its first weekend. Box office reports marked this as the lowest domestic opening of Johnson’s acting career. For the unversed, the movie dramatizes the life of former UFC tournament winner Mark Kerr. The film premiered earlier in August 2025 at the Venice Film Festival, where the audience gave it a 15-minute standing ovation. Moreover, Director Benny Safdie won the Silver Lion award for his work. These achievements raised high expectations for the theatrical release, with many calling it the best work of Johnson’s career.
Industry forecasts projected the movie would open between 18 and 20 million dollars. During the same weekend, Taylor Swift released a surprise concert film titled ‘The Official Release Party of a Showgirl.’ The film opened to 34 million dollars and finished in first place at the U.S. box office. It also took premium large-format screens in major markets. ‘The Smashing Machine‘ finished second with its $5.9 million debut.
Dwayne Johnson Penned A Heartfelt Message After His Film’s Release
Following the opening weekend reports, Johnson posted a message on Instagram thanking viewers and sharing his personal thoughts on the project. The caption was as follows.
“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.”
He added, “And I will always run to that opportunity. It was my honor to transform in this role for my director, Benny Safdie @bowedtie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth is, this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect, and radical empathy, dj”
For the unversed, ‘The Smashing Machine‘ currently holds a 73 per cent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. CinemaScore polling reported a grade of B minus from opening-night audiences. On top of that, the production budget for the movie was approximately 50 million dollars after tax incentives.
Foreign pre-sales before release brought in around 35 million dollars. Analysts have reported that distributor A24 may face a shortfall if the movie does not see renewed interest in later weeks. Johnson himself received 4 million dollars for the project, which is lower than his usual pay of $20 million.
Related: Mark Kerr Reveals Scene Where Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ Was Not Entirely Accurate
Apart from this, Johnson has two major upcoming releases. Disney’s live-action version of ‘Moana’ is scheduled for July 2026. Later that same year, ‘Jumanji 3‘ is planned for release in December 2026. Meanwhile, A24 has confirmed its intention to continue supporting The Smashing Machine with an awards season campaign, hoping to gain further recognition from critics and industry groups.
Inside Benny Safdie’s Vision For ‘The Smashing Machine’
Dwayne Johnson approached Benny Safdie back in 2019 about making a film on UFC fighter Mark Kerr. He shared the 2002 HBO documentary ‘The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr,’ which became the project’s foundation.
Safdie studied Kerr’s life closely, keeping screen grabs and notes even when production paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. He focused on Kerr’s personal struggles with opioids and wanted to show the contrast between his public strength and private battles.
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In conversation with The Wrap, Safdie revealed that, to recreate the late 1990s MMA environment, Safdie shot the film on 16mm. He combined the visuals with immersive sound design to place audiences inside Kerr’s world rather than just telling his story.
When Safdie met Kerr, he observed the fighter’s openness about his past and his recovery. He used those conversations to shape the film’s narrative, highlighting Kerr’s ability to acknowledge his mistakes and gain perspective on his life.
Safdie directed this project on his own for the first time, without his brother Josh. He has confirmed that he and Johnson plan to collaborate again on an adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater’s ‘Lizard Music.’
