Dwayne Johnson’s Box Office Flop The Smashing Machine Finds Redemption on Streaming

by

After building a successful career in the WWE, Dwayne Johnson often found himself playing the same type of character in Hollywood – a tough, silent type with a quick wit. In 2025, he took a big risk with .

2025 proved to be a significant year for the Safdie brothers, who released several films to critical praise. Benny Safdie directed The Smashing Machine, and his brother, Josh Safdie, directed Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme. While Marty Supreme achieved widespread success, The Smashing Machine, though not as popular initially, is now performing exceptionally well on streaming platforms, according to FlixPatrol.

on Jan. 23, 2026, and it didn’t take long for it to gain attraction.

The new crime comedy, The Smashing Machine, quickly became the most popular show on HBO Max. It jumped to the top spot, pushing Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another down to third place, with Sinners taking second.

The popularity of the HBO Max film follows strong initial interest in The Smashing Machine across various digital platforms. It launched at number one on Amazon’s rental service in Canada on January 23rd, then moved to second place by January 25th. On iTunes in Canada, it reached sixth place. The film also performed well on Starz and Rakuten.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, in this new sports movie. Emily Blunt stars alongside him as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, and the film also features Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin, and Oleksandr Usyk.

This film was a new direction for Johnson, showcasing his dramatic skills in a way audiences hadn’t seen before. At the movie’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, he shared that he’d been hoping for a role like this for a long time, explaining that he was…

We’ve had a long conversation about how Hollywood has become so focused on box office numbers. When you prioritize those numbers, they can really dominate everything. It can typecast you, forcing you into a specific role or genre that’s what Hollywood expects you to do.

The Smashing Machine Received Positive Reviews

Critics generally liked The Smashing Machine, giving it a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “Certified Fresh” designation. Audiences also approved, with a 74% score. Dwayne Johnson received particular praise for his performance, with one reviewer calling it “incredible” and predicting it would be one of the best performances of the year, even for years to come, describing the film as a unique and impactful work that will grow in appreciation over time.

Despite receiving positive reviews, the movie wasn’t a financial success, earning only $20.4 million at the box office compared to its $50 million production cost. However, it did allow the lead actor, Johnson, to move beyond the types of roles he was known for, and it’s expected to gain a wider audience over time through streaming services.

The Smashing Machine is streaming on HBO Max.

Read More

2026-01-25 19:07