Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s latest film, The Smashing Machine, struggled at the box office in its opening weekend, earning just $6.2 million — the lowest debut of his career as a leading man. The biopic, which chronicles the life of former UFC champion Mark Kerr, had initially been projected to open around $20 million, but stiff competition and niche appeal contributed to the disappointing result.
One of the biggest factors was the release of Taylor Swift’s The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, which dominated premium screens and opened to a massive $30–32 million, significantly cutting into The Smashing Machine’s audience share. The film’s debut fell below even Johnson’s previous low, the 2010 action thriller Faster, which opened at $8.5 million.
According to Deadline, the film’s tone and presentation were also key reasons for its underperformance. “Smashing Machine is an arthouse film; it was never positioned as a mainstream play. It’s very non-traditional in its narrative — some critics get it, others do not,” the outlet reported. “This is a 180 from Johnson’s previous R-rated movie, Pain & Gain, under the direction of Michael Bay and with co-star Mark Wahlberg, which was a glossy, major studio take on drugs and beefcakes, opening in the 2013 pre-streaming era to $20.2M. The UFC faithful clearly see that it’s not the Johnson they wanna see.”
The project marked a significant departure from Johnson’s typical blockbuster fare, leaning more into dramatic storytelling and character study than his usual action-heavy roles. While The Smashing Machine received praise from some critics for Johnson’s performance and its grounded narrative, it appears that audiences were not as receptive — particularly those expecting the kind of high-octane spectacle that has defined much of his career.
Despite the slow start, the film may find a second life through awards buzz or streaming, but for now, it stands as one of the biggest box-office disappointments in Johnson’s storied career.
