The Smashing Machine might be a critical success, but that didn’t translate to the box office.
At least not during its opening weekend, in which the A24 biopic about UFC legend Mark Kerr netted $5.9 million, placing third behind Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl ($34 million) and One Battle After Another ($11 million), according to Deadline. That marks the lowest opening weekend for any film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, whose acting career dates back to 2001’s The Mummy Returns.
While The Smashing Machine — which possessed a reported $50 million budget — was likely always going to be a bigger hit critically than commercially, it’s hard to view its debut weekend as anything other than a disappointment. According to Variety, the film was tracking for a $17 million opening weekend in early September, with projections continuing to drop as its Oct. 3 wide release approached.
As for the reasons why The Smashing Machine turned into a box office flop, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin noted the film’s poor word of mouth and questions regarding who its target audience was. Rubin also called attention to an emerging trend among moviegoers who decide they can skip certain films and wait for them to be available at home, with the primary exceptions being cultural phenomena such as Sinners and Weapons.
Still, The Smashing Machine had plenty working in its favor, including two box office stars in Johnson and Emily Blunt, as well as award season buzz via the film festival circuit. That could also provide hope that The Smashing Machine will potentially enjoy a second life in theaters should nominations follow early next year.
For now, however, the film will have to overcome the stigma attached to its status as a box office flop. Taking to Instagram on Monday, Johnson downplayed The Smashing Machine‘s box office success (or lack thereof), writing: “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.”
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.