Dwayne Johnson's 'The Smashing Machine' Struggles to Find Audience

On October 3, 2025, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's highly anticipated sports drama 'The Smashing Machine' hit theaters, but the early box office results have been disappointing. According to the latest reports, the film collected a modest $850,000 from its Thursday previews, a far cry from the $20 million opening weekend projection.

Directed by Benny Safdie, 'The Smashing Machine' is a biographical sports drama that stars Johnson as former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The film also features supporting performances from Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk. While the film has received average reviews, with a 73% critics' rating and an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the weak preview numbers suggest it will struggle to find a large audience.

In comparison, Zac Efron's 'The Iron Claw' earned even less than 'The Smashing Machine' during its Thursday previews, collecting just $670,000. This means that Johnson's film outperformed its competitor by around 27% in the previews. However, with the overall low numbers, both films face an uphill battle to make a significant impact at the box office in the coming weeks.

As of October 4, 2025, it remains to be seen whether 'The Smashing Machine' can overcome its slow start and find success in the coming days and weeks. The film's future performance will be closely watched by industry analysts and fans alike.