Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Smashing Machine’ wows Venice Film Festival
Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” which stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr, premiered at Venice Film Festival to roaring applause.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is punching his way to TV screens with the streaming release of his sports biopic “The Smashing Machine.”
In the Benny Safdie-directed film, which also stars Emily Blunt, Johnson transforms (and is almost unrecognizable) into mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, an MMA star trying to reach the heights of his sport while dealing with an addiction to opioids and a tumultuous romantic relationship. Kerr is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion known as “The Smashing Machine,” and a documentary about him, also called “The Smashing Machine,” aired on HBO in 2002.
Though the film flopped at the box office, debuting with just $6 million, Johnson said playing Kerr “has changed (his) life.”
“From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched ‘The Smashing Machine,'” Johnson wrote in an Oct. 6 Instagram post. “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.”
The A-lister, in a post-premiere Q&A at Toronto Film Festival in Sept. 2025, had said he “had waited for this opportunity for such a long time, to do something that challenged myself.”
“I pushed for more and I wanted more,” Johnson said.
Here’s what to know about where and when “The Smashing Machine” will be streaming.
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Where is ‘The Smashing Machine’ streaming?
“The Smashing Machine” will be available to stream on HBO Max on Friday, Jan. 23, Warner Bros. Discovery announced. New content typically releases on the streaming platform at 3:01 a.m. ET / 12:01 a.m. PT.
The film will also be available to watch on the HBO TV channel at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Saturday, Jan. 24.
‘The Smashing Machine’ on digital
“The Smashing Machine,” which hit theaters Oct. 3, 2025, is currently available to buy and rent on digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
Watch ‘The Smashing Machine‘ on Amazon Prime | Apple TV
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‘The Smashing Machine’ cast
The cast of “The Smashing Machine” includes:
- Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr
- Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples
- Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman
- Bas Rutten as Bas
- Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn
Watch ‘The Smashing Machine’ trailer
‘Smashing Machine’ scene: Dwayne Johnson trains as MMA fighter
Mark Kerr (played by Dwayne Johnson) trains for a major global MMA tournament in Benny Safdie’s sports drama “The Smashing Machine.”
This story was updated to add more information.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Brian Truitt / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
