Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is breaking his silence after The Smashing Machine delivered the lowest opening weekend of his career. The film brought in just $6 million at the box office, despite A24 spending $50 million to produce it.
On Monday (Oct. 6), Johnson addressed the disappointing debut in a heartfelt Instagram post. “From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine,” he wrote. “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 went on to praise director Benny Safdie, saying, “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie. 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, which also stars Emily Blunt, tells the story of legendary MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Maybe fans of The Rock will rally and give his latest project another look.
