Dwayne Johnson remains proud that he took a swing with The Smashing Machine.
Hitting theaters over the weekend, writer-director Benny Safdie‘s A24 feature centers on Johnson’s portrayal of UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr as he navigates his fighting career and opioid addiction. The film, which carries awards season aspirations, collected $6 million in its opening frame, marking the lowest box office debut in Johnson’s career.
The star took to Instagram on Monday to express his appreciation for his involvement with the project, despite the muted commercial response. “From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched The Smashing Machine,” Johnson 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 continued, “It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie @bowedtie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth is this film has changed my life.”
The Smashing Machine, which co-stars Emily Blunt as Kerr’s then-girlfriend, earned a rousing response when it premiered over the summer at the Venice Film Festival. Johnson and Blunt continue to remain in the mix as Oscar contenders for the movie.
In his review of The Smashing Machine for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Jordan Mintzer wrote of Johnson’s performance, “He manages to go deep here without overdoing it, killing the audience with kindness as a benign warrior who suffers from one scene to the next, triumphing briefly in the ring before succumbing to addiction and/or romantic grief.”
During a recent interview with THR, Kerr praised Johnson for the personal connections that he makes with everyone he meets: “He’s completely, completely giving himself to you in the conversation he’s having with you, which is just amazing.”
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