The Rock Faces Major Setback as The Smashing Machine Bombs with Subpar Opening Weekend Collections

The Smashing Machine has opened its account with a tepid response at the box office marking an underwhelming release for The Rock-starrer.

The Rock Faces Major Setback as The Smashing Machine Bombs with Subpar Opening Weekend Collections

The Rock (via- People)

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The lead-up to the official release of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s The Smashing Machine was all hits and no misses. However, the halfhearted opening weekend collection has painted an entirely different story. It stumbled out of the gate, debuting in third place with a modest $6 million. The R-rated sports drama, distributed by A24, fell well short of industry projections, which ranged between $8 million and $15 million.

Per Variety, it marked the lowest opening of Johnson’s career—below his 2010 action film Faster ($8.5 million). The film, which cost $50 million to produce, had initially generated strong awards buzz after earning a lengthy standing ovation at Venice, where Johnson got emotional after the downpour of support. However, the poor box-office performance now casts doubt on its Oscar prospects.

Despite the underwhelming commercial turnout, critics have praised Johnson’s dramatic turn, calling it one of his most emotionally raw performances to date. Still, the film’s financial misfire is a significant setback for both Johnson and A24. ‘The Great One’ had undergone a drastic physical transformation to match the buffed build of Mark Kerr.

Back in May, Johnson revealed through an Instagram post that Kerr was gracious enough to come and train with him. ‘The Final Boss’ noted that it truly completed his training camp, and he was all set to begin filming.

The 53-year-old even sustained a minor elbow injury while shooting, but his on-screen portrayal of the MMA icon was just sheer commitment. It’d be interesting to see if The Smashing Machine recovers from its sluggish start at the box office in the days to come.

The Rock and Dave LaGreca bury the hatchet after ugly WrestleMania-time spat

Pro wrestling is one of the most beautiful forms of entertainment to ever exist. A recent example of it is The Rock linking up with a man who ranted about his WrestleMania 41 no-show, Dave LaGreca. The latter launched a tirade aimed at ‘The Brahma Bull’ for appearing on Pat McAfee‘s show two days later than he was expected to help John Cena beat Cody Rhodes for the WWE title in the main event of WrestleMania.

The Rock and Dave LaGreca
The Rock and Dave LaGreca [via- Forbes and BustedOpenRadio/@X]

The Rock would go on to state that he’d have done things differently when asked about the finish of that matchup. LaGreca, who’s a famed wrestling pundit, went berserk at the Jumanji actor for allegedly throwing Triple H under the bus by choosing to skip the biggest WWE show of the year.

Not only that, ‘The Great One’ was condemned for segregating himself from the fray after fans slammed Cena vs. Rhodes. ‘The Final Boss’ later clapped back at the Busted Open Radio host by welcoming him to join their creative discussions with Rock himself, Rhodes, Cena, and even Brian Gewirtz so that he could expand his perspective.

Johnson also advised LaGreca to stop ranting, as it’s not healthy. Before that, Rock affirmed that the pro wrestling business is a complete work.

A few days ago, Johnson visited the Busted Open Radio’s studio and met LaGreca. The two of them shared a warm embrace to begin with, and LaGreca even congratulated Johnson for the wave of success he’s been riding on.

The wrestling critic buried the hatchet from a few months ago, when he went off on the 53-year-old actor for not showing up at WrestleMania. LaGreca also gifted the original pink bathrobe for which he was called out by The Rock during his feud with Rhodes in early 2024.

LaGreca, on his show, was justifying The American Nightmare’s hard-earned WrestleMania spot, which, at one point, got jeopardized with Johnson’s return. But over a year later, it’s all giggles and smiles. ‘The People’s Champ’ seemed in a bit of a hurry and couldn’t meet more people. However, ‘Rocky’ did ask LaGreca about the well-being of Bully Ray and Mark Henry before exiting.

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