Dwayne Johnson‘s ‘The Smashing machine’ Underperforms at Box Office Following Cannes Debut
Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, The Smashing Machine, has substantially underperformed at the box office, despite a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The film’s disappointing results follow a pattern for Johnson, recalling the 2006 release of Southland Tales, which grossed less than $300,000 domestically on a $17 million budget. This outcome arrives as Johnson navigates a recent stretch of specialty films that haven’t resonated with wide audiences.
The box office struggles of The Smashing machine are notable given Johnson’s consistent status as a box office draw.While the financial impact of this single film is limited, it underscores the challenges of attracting audiences to R-rated projects and highlights the importance of mainstream appeal for a star of Johnson’s magnitude. He is slated to return to more commercially proven territory with Disney’s live-action Moana in July 2026 and Sony’s jumanji 3 in December of next year.
Johnson previously experienced a similar situation with his 2013 R-rated film, Pain & Gain, which earned a C+ rating despite opening to $20.2 million and featuring a cast and premise centered around bodybuilders and drug use.
Despite the disappointing financial results, Johnson expressed gratitude and reflected on the artistic value of The Smashing machine. in a post shared three hours before reports of the film’s box office performance, he wrote, ”From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine.”
He further elaborated on his approach to acting,stating,”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 chance.” Johnson concluded by saying, ”Truth is this film has changed my life.”
