Maybe Dana White was right.
The upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) drama biopic The Smashing Machine, chronicling the life of two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight tournament winner Mark Kerr and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, just screened at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in Italy — and it reportedly received a 15-minute standing ovation.
On Monday (Sept. 1, 2025), a clip surfaced on social media of Johnson breaking down in tears after the ovation, clearly moved
by the reception.
Check it out below:
Now, a long ovation doesn’t always equal greatness — just last year, Joker: Folie à Deux and Megalopolis both drew extended applause at the same festival before crashing with critics as the movies were trash. But early reactions to The Smashing Machine are trending positive, a sharp contrast from the lukewarm audience test screenings reported earlier this year (details).
Deadline’s Damon Wise praised Johnson’s transformation, writing:
“Johnson owns the whole thing with his truly remarkable work as fighter Mark Kerr, disappearing so fully underneath Kazu Hiru’s astonishing prosthetics that the opening of the film, presented as contemporary footage from an event in Sao Paulo 1997, looks genuinely like the real thing.”
DiscussingFilm was equally impressed, noting:
“The Smashing Machine holds all of the blood, sweat, and tears shed to equal value. In doing so, this biopic amounts to something much bigger than just the sport at hand. It values wins and losses fairly, but excels when pondering how we, as humans, find harmony between the pillars that tend to make or break us.”
Of course, time will tell how the film truly holds up when it hits theaters on Oct. 3, 2025.
Look for our full review in the coming weeks!
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