Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is taking a hit both at the box office and in public opinion after The Smashing Machine — a biopic in which Johnson stars as MMA legend Mark Kerr — flopped.
How bad was it? With just over $6 million, it marked the lowest opening weekend of Johnson’s film career, despite strong Oscar buzz.
Many fans believe the action star stepped too far outside his usual lane. The online consensus is that his biggest successes — Fast & Furious, Jumanji — are high-octane blockbusters, and
that audiences see him as a go-to for fun, escapist entertainment, not serious drama.
Others questioned the fit between Johnson and A24, the indie studio known for its artsy films. As one Reddit user put it:
“Casting The Rock in an A24 just seems like an odd move. He is a talented actor for what he does well: action movies. A24 movies tend to have more nuance to them, and I just feel like people see The Rock and immediately think of Fast & Furious or G.I. Joe-type stuff. The overlap of audience there with A24 is slim.”
There’s an irony here that wrestling fans will appreciate: Johnson taking on a serious, dramatic role is like his wrestling persona, The Rock, suddenly switching to a technical, indie style. Instead of relying on charisma, catchphrases, and a flurry of punches to bring the crowd to life, imagine The Rock diving into an emotional storyline while wrestling like Bryan Danielson for 45 minutes.
If that sounds strange, consider this: it actually happened — just not with The Rock.
In 2008, the Ultimate Warrior, long criticized for his wrestling ability, came out of retirement at age 49 to face Orlando Jordan in Spain. Hobbled by a training injury, Warrior tried to show range, leaning into a more traditional match. At one point, he even hit a flying body press, channeling Ricky Steamboat.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The match was widely panned, and for good reasons. Warrior wasn’t 100%, the performance fell flat, and more importantly, it wasn’t what fans remembered or wanted from him. They didn’t come to see subtlety; they came to see the larger-than-life character from Parts Unknown.
Credit to Warrior for trying. It was a sincere effort to break free from the long-standing stigma that he couldn’t wrestle. But in the end, it felt like too much of a departure — and, unlike his body press, it just didn’t land.
So, what’s a performer to do? Stick with the formula that works, even if it boxes them in? Or step outside their comfort zone at the risk of ridicule to take on personal challenges and prove they’re more than what fans expect?
In the end, the performer must do what’s in their heart and in their best interest. Certainly, the public has every right to critique a product that fails to meet customer expectations. At the same time, some grace should be given when an artist dares to take a risk — and fails.
Kudos to Dwayne Johnson for stepping out of his comfort zone. If he truly wants to grow as a dramatic actor, here’s hoping he tries again. Whether studios will take that same chance is another story.
