The new Dwayne Johnson film The Smashing Machine had a disappointing box office opening when it arrived in North American theaters last weekend, and fans are now wondering whether the A-list star is still a draw for audiences.
The A24 sports biopic has been receiving raves from critics since its Venice Film Festival premiere, with Johnson's performance being hailed as the best of his career. This project is considered to be a turning point for the A-list star since it's an opportunity for him to show a different side that we haven't seen in any of his previous films.
Why The Smashing Machine Had a Disappointing Box Office Opening
According to Deadline, The Smashing Machine opened with a disappointing $6 million at its domestic box office last weekend.
The film was initially predicted to open with $20 million a few weeks ago. Despite the promotional efforts from A24 and Johnson in the days leading up to its release, it was not enough to attract audiences to watch it.
While it was not expected to have the same level of box office opening as his big-budget movies, there was still anticipation that Johnson's starring role would be able to draw audiences beyond the niche cinephile demographic.
The question for fans now is why the film had a disappointing opening. The number one guess right now is that the film was opening on the same day as Taylor Swift: The Official Release of a Showgirl, which was the number one release and managed to gross $33 million in its opening.
There are also theories that the subject matter might not be appealing to the general audience, especially since Mark Kerr is not a widely popular figure outside the MMA community.
This prompts another question on whether Johnson is still a box office draw in the aftermath. For now, we still cannot tell, given that this is a rare project from Johnson, and there is still a possibility that his next big-budget movie release might be a success again. However, this is also a sign that Johnson might struggle in his Oscar campaign in the coming months, as there is no good audience support for the film.
What is The Smashing Machine About?
The Smashing Machine tells the story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Benny Safdie wrote and directed the film.
Aside from Johnson, the cast also includes Emily Blunt, Ryan Rader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, and Lyndsey Gavin. The project hails from A24, marking Johnson's first collaboration with the indie powerhouse.
The film currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 73%, with the consensus noting that it is "a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count."
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