Dwayne Johnson reacts to the poor box office performance of The Smashing Machine
In an Instagram note, Johnson wrote that one "can’t control box office results, but can control the performance
The 53-year-old actor also said that the film changed his life
The Smashing Machine, a sports drama starring WWE vet and actor Dwayne Johnson, was released in the United States by A24 on October 3, 2025. Before that, it had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025, where it took home the Silver Lion.
Johnson aka The Rock, was praised for his portrayal of UFC champ Mark Kerr, but the movie failed to perform well at the box office, despite the hype and positive reviews. The Smashing Machine has reportedly managed to earn $6 million in its first weekend, and it is said to be the lowest opening of Johnson's career. The actor has opened up about the poor performance of his film in a note on social media.
Dwayne Johnson on The Smashing Machine box office report
On Monday, the 53-year-old star penned a lengthy Instagram note where he wrote, "From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine", and added, "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. And I will always run to that opportunity."
He called it his honour to transform into the role for his director, Benny Safdie, and he thanked him for believing in him.
"Truth is this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy," Johnson concluded his post.
Have a look at his post here.
According to Variety, $50m (£37m) was spent to produce the film and a lot more to market. Ahead of its release, it was predicted to have an opening weekend of around $20m (£15m).
The Smashing Machine is all set to release in India this week, on October 10. So, let's see how much it earns in the Indian market. It will face stiff competition from Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1, which is running successfully in theatres.
Alongside Johnson, the film also starred Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, and Yoko Hamamura, among others.
