Dwayne Johnson had high hopes for his Smashing Machine movie, based on the turbulent life of former UFC heavyweight Mark Kerr.
Unfortunately, fans were a no-show at last weekend’s box office, resulting
in just $6 million in ticket sales. “The Rock” garnered universal praise for his portrayal of Kerr , a departure from his usual action-hero roles, but his performance alone was not enough to entice audiences.
The Benny Safdie-directed flick was also facing stiff competition from both Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio.
1. Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl – $33.0 million ($33.0 million total)
2. One Battle After Another – $11.1 million ($42.7 million total)
3. The Smashing Machine – $6.0 million ($6.0 million total)
4. Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie – $5.2 million ($21.0 million total)
5. The Conjuring: Last Rites – $4.0 million ($167.8 million total)
6. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – $3.5 million ($124.6 million total)
7. The Strangers: Chapter 2 – $2.8 million ($10.6 million total)
8. Avatar: The Way of Water (re-release) – $3.2 million ($3.2 million total)
9. Good Boy – $2.2 million ($2.2 million total)
10. The Long Walk – $1.7 million ($31.9 million total)
Johnson went on social media to address the film’s failure.
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched ‘The Smashing Machine.’ 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. It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth is this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy. DJ.”
Smashing Machine reportedly needs to gross $100 million to break even.
