A new movie about a Syracuse University alumnus just broke a box office record — but not one the filmmakers likely wanted.
“The Smashing Machine,” a biopic starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as former Syracuse wrestler Mark Kerr, opened in theaters this weekend with just $6 million across 3,345 theaters. It was third place at the box office, behind Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film “One Battle After Another” (starring Leonardo DiCaprio) at No. 2 with $11.1 million and Taylor Swift’s “The Official Release Party of a Show Girl” at No. 1 with $33 million.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Smashing Machine” set a new record as the worst opening weekend in Johnson’s career. Ticket sales were well below early projections of up to $20 million and bombed harder than his previous cinematic low of $8.5 million for “Faster” in 2010 (not adjusted for inflation).
Variety reports the numbers are especially disappointing as studio A24 spent $50 million to produce “The Smashing Machine.” Millions of dollars have also been spent promoting the movie, including appearances at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.
THR, Variety and The Associated Press point to several reasons for why the movie flopped, including an overinflated paycheck for Johnson (who was playing a very different role than his usual blockbusters), the classic awards-buzz-doesn’t-always-equal-grosses, and limited international appeal (“sports dramas do not travel well overseas,” an industry expert told Variety). Competition also likely wasn’t a big factor, as the audience for Swift’s movie was 90% female and 70% of “The Smashing Machine” viewers were male.
But that doesn’t mean Johnson’s movie, which has earned critical acclaim and standing ovations, is a disappointment.
Former wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, left, greets Dwayne Johnson, who portrays him in “The Smashing Machine,” at the premiere of the film, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
“When major movie stars branch out into more indie roles, like Tom Cruise in ‘Magnolia,’ they’re trying to redefine their career,” Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, told the AP. “They can straddle both universes, so Dwayne Johnson and all the acclaim he’s getting. That prestige factor. That’s the currency. He knows box office. He studies this and he’s a business person. But also realize that when you go outside of your comfort zone, it puts him in a certain light. … Dwayne Johnson is redefining what he can do.”
“The Smashing Machine,” directed by Benny Safdie and also starring Emily Blunt, is described as a gritty film about Kerr, an early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star who attempted to make a comeback in MMA after battling substance abuse. He struggled with depression and an addiction to painkillers, suffering an overdose in 1999.
Kerr won the NCAA Division I championship at 190 pounds in 1992, the same year he graduated from Syracuse University. He sought to compete at the 1996 Olympics, but lost to future WWF (now WWE) star Kurt Angle and turned to the then-burgeoning sport of MMA, where Kerr’s aggressive style earned him the nickname “The Smashing Machine.”
But Kerr also had a number of issues outside of sports, including getting kicked kicked out of SU for a year after being arrested in 1989 on charges of stealing stereo equipment from another student’s apartment. He worked as a concert roadie and his weight hit 245 pounds as he fell into bad habits of drinking, eating and drug abuse. According to The Post-Standard, he earned his scholarship back by enrolling at Onondaga Community College and getting serious in the gym.
After wrestling, Kerr found success as an MMA fighter in the Pride Fighting Championships, winning Japanese titles in 1997 and 2000, plus a World Vale Tudo Championship in Brazil and four ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships in Abu Dhabi. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier this year.
“The Smashing Machine” is currently in theaters.
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