Dwayne Johnson remains one of Hollywood’s biggest names, but not every film in his career has delivered at the box office. His latest setback has put fresh focus on that uneven record after ‘The Smashing Machine’ opened to just USD 6 million domestically, marking the worst opening weekend of his career. The film’s weak debut has renewed interest in several Johnson titles that struggled financially despite his star power, from early action dramas to franchise hopefuls that never took off.
Dwayne Johnson’s box office bombs in focus
ScreenRant previously rounded up 10 of Johnson’s biggest box office misses, while Variety recently reported on the rough start for ‘The Smashing Machine.’ Variety wrote that the R-rated sports drama was knocked out at the box office with USD 6 million, a result that also hit A24, which spent USD 50 million to produce the film.According to the report, ‘The Smashing Machine’ gave Johnson a very different kind of role. He plays wrestler and UFC champion Mark Kerr in a story about a comeback shaped by substance abuse and personal struggle. Variety noted that the film features a rare dramatic performance from Johnson, one that stands far from crowd-pleasing roles in films such as ‘The Mummy,’ the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, and ‘Moana.’ Critics were more supportive than audiences, with the film holding a 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes and earning a B- CinemaScore from moviegoers, according to Variety.
‘The Smashing Machine’ and past Dwayne Johnson flops
ScreenRant’s earlier list highlighted titles such as ‘Black Adam,’ ‘Planet 51,’ ‘Faster,’ ‘Gridiron Gang,’ ‘Be Cool,’ ‘Walking Tall,’ ‘Jungle Cruise,’ ‘The Rundown,’ ‘Doom,’ and ‘Southland Tales’ as some of Johnson’s biggest financial disappointments. The outlet cited several reasons for those results, including poor reviews, high budgets, poor timing, crowded release windows, and genre fatigue. It also noted that ‘Southland Tales’ was his most severe miss, making only USD 374,743 against a USD 17 million budget.Even so, the larger picture of Johnson’s career remains mixed rather than bleak. He has headlined major hits and built one of the most recognizable brands in film. But the underperformance of ‘The Smashing Machine’ now adds a new chapter to the box office side of that story, and this time it is his most painful opening yet.
