Dwayne Johnson isn’t looking for a fight.
The 53-year-old actor took on the role of real-life MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the sports drama The Smashing Machine. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film follows Kerr (Johnson) as he rises to the top of his career while battling personal struggles along the way.
When the movie hit theaters this past weekend, it earned $6 million — marking the lowest box office debut of Johnson’s career.
Mark Kerr and Dwayne Johnson attended The Smashing Machine red carpet at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine,” the Moana star wrote on Instagram on Monday.
“In our storytelling world, you can’t control box office results — but what I’ve realized you can control is your performance and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere. And I will always run toward that opportunity.”
He continued, “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director, Benny Safdie (@bowedtie). Thank you, brother, for believing in me. Truth is, this film has changed my life.”
The Smashing Machine also stars Emily Blunt as Kerr’s then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Despite its disappointing box office performance, the film received a standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this summer.
Dwayne Johnson portrays Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
Dwayne Johnson stars in the 2025 sports drama alongside Emily Blunt, 42 — and both actors have already sparked early Oscar buzz for their performances.
Johnson is no stranger to box office success, having headlined major hits such as Moana (2016), which grossed $687 million worldwide, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), which earned over $962 million globally. His 2023 film Fast X brought in approximately $146 million domestically in the U.S. and Canada.
Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, and director Benny Safdie are seen on the set of The Smashing Machine.
While filming the movie — which is set in the 1990s — the Red Notice star took a few real punches.
“At one point, I said to Dwayne, ‘I don’t want to cut away. I think it’s important that we see him get hit,’” Safdie, 39, told The Post. “We talked about this early on — the one moment when he was actually going to get punched in the face.”
Recalling the moment, Johnson told Safdie, “OK, this is it.”
Johnson put on 30 pounds of muscle, to which Safdie confessed, “that he was acting with his back.”
“My wife got me an early UFC shirt that reads ‘As real as it gets’ on the back,” said Safdie, who was approached by Johnson to do this movie. “That was my main motto. This whole thing needs to look like it really happened.”
