Despite the hype out of its Venice International Film Festival premiere, The Smashing Machine has been a box office bust, and lead actor Dwayne Johnson thanked those who have seen it.
Johnson took to Instagram to share a message to his 392 million followers. He posted a couple of behind-the-scenes images, including a headshot of himself as MMA legend Mark Kerr. Johnson knows he “can't control box office results,” but he is trying to look at the positives.
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine,” Johnson's caption began. “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,” he promised.
He then continued by thanking director Benny Safdie for “believing” in him. “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie,” Johnson praised. “Thank you[,] brother[,] for believing in me. Truth is[,] this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect[,] and radical empathy, dj.”
The Smashing Machine has been the biggest box office bust of Dwayne Johnson's career
During its opening weekend, The Smashing Machine made just $6 million domestically. That was the third highest total of the weekend, behind Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl ($34 million) and One Battle After Another ($11 million).
Swift's new movie was recently announced to tie in with her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. Despite minimal marketing, it made $34 million domestically during its opening weekend in theaters. It raked in another $16 million overseas.
One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson's latest movie. In its second weekend, it grossed $11 million, a 50% drop from its opening weekend. To date, it has made over $100 million worldwide.
We'll wait and see if The Smashing Machine can turn things around. It received a wide release from A24, opening in 3,345 theaters during its opening weekend. Perhaps it will gain traction as time goes on.
Johnson is hoping to earn his first Oscar nomination for his performance. He transformed into Mark Kerr for the biopic, and it's his first notable dramatic role.
