Dwayne Johnson recently reacted to the disappointing box office debut of The Smashing Machine. The actor addressed the film’s underperformance and reflected on his experience portraying MMA legend Mark Kerr.
Dwayne Johnson reacts to The Smashing Machine’s terrible box office debut
Dwayne Johnson addressed The Smashing Machine’s poor box office debut in an Instagram post shared on October 6, 2025. The A24 biopic, directed by Benny Safdie, opened to $5.9 million domestically, marking the lowest opening of Johnson’s career so far. Despite the financial setback, Johnson expressed deep gratitude to audiences who watched the film and reflected on his transformative experience portraying UFC legend Mark Kerr.
Johnson wrote, “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, “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth is this film has changed my life.”
The film grossed below the reported projections of $8-15 million. Produced for $50 million, A24’s drama follows Kerr’s career and struggles with opioid addiction. Emily Blunt co-stars as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife, in the film, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, where Safdie also won Best Director.
The Smashing Machine earned approximately $6 million in its domestic opening from 3,345 theaters, with no international revenue reported (via Box Office Mojo). The film made $2.7 million on Friday, $1.84 million on Saturday, and $1.43 million on Sunday, averaging $813 per theater on the first day. It marked one of the weakest box office openings in Dwayne Johnson’s career.
The Smashing Machine is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
