Dwayne Johnson gets the lowest opening of his career with The Smashing Machine at just $6 million

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson's latest release The Smashing Machine has opened to a lukewarm response at the domestic box office in its first three days.

Published on: Oct 6, 2025, 16:23:25 IST

By Santanu Das

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Dwayne Johnson just got smashed at the box office with the release of his new movie, The Smashing Machine. The sports drama opened in theatres last Friday and has managed to make $6 million in its first weekend, from 3,345 venues. The R-rated sports drama faced stiff competition from Taylor Swift's new concert film, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl.

Dwayne Johnson in a still from The Smashing Machine.

Box office update for The Smashing Machine

The Smashing Machine is a sports drama that also stars Emily Blunt, and arrived after a lot of critical acclaim since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where director Benny Safdie won the Best Director award. As per Variety, the film was at the third place in its opening weekend, managing to make $6 million from 3,345 venues. The film has a budget of $50 million in production alone, with additional costs in promotions.

It was projected to make $20 million in its first weekend, but then the Taylor Swift announcement of her new concert film dropped. Even with little promotion, the concert film Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl managed to collect $33 million over the weekend. In second place was Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another, which collected $10.3 million in its second weekend.

About The Smashing Machine

In The Smashing Machine, Johnson plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr, which is inspired by the 2002 documentary with the same name. Mark Kerr won multiple awards and medals in his career, and also struggled with substance abuse. The film also explores his relationship with his then-girlfriend, played by Emily Blunt. She and Johnson previously worked together on Jungle Cruise. The film is directed by Benny Safdie, marking his first solo effort behind the camera after he split from brother Josh Safdie. Josh has Timothée Chalamet-starrer Marty Supreme up for release later this year in December.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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