Poster © A24. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreFeature film
RatedR
Runtime2 hr 3 mins
ReleasedOctober 3, 2025
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorBenny Safdie
StarringDwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader
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The Smashing Machine (2025)
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| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| The Smashing Machine's Details | |
| Genre | Feature film |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 09/01/2025 (Venice); 10/03/2025 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 3 mins |
| Budget | $50M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| The Smashing Machine's Interests | |
| General | Late-nineties cage fights, big nights in Japan, gym mats, hotel rooms, 16mm film grain. |
| Music | Nala Sinephro, plus the Cleaners from Venus song 'Corridor of Dreams' played start to finish. |
| Movies | The Wrestler (2008). Another giant whose body keeps sending him the bill. |
| Television | Ballers. Same Rock, way fewer bruises. |
| Heroes | Bas Rutten, playing Bas Rutten. Typecasting at its finest. |
| The Smashing Machine's Crew | |
| Director | Benny Safdie |
| Writers | Benny Safdie |
| Producers | Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, David Koplan |
| Cinematography | Maceo Bishop |
| Music | Nala Sinephro |
| Edited By | Benny Safdie |
| Production | A24, Out for the Count, Seven Bucks Productions, Magnetic Fields Entertainment |
| Distributed By | A24 |
A sports movie that refuses to act like a sports movie, and sometimes refuses to have a story at all: that’s The Smashing Machine in one breath. Benny Safdie follows Mark Kerr, one of the most feared fighters of the late nineties, through 1999 and 2000: bouts in Japan, meetings about his paychecks, his struggles outside the cage, and a stormy, on-and-off romance with his girlfriend Dawn. Dwayne Johnson is the reason to go. Buried under makeup, he plays Kerr as soft-spoken, scared and stubborn, a giant who has no idea how to ask for help, and it’s the best work he’s ever done. Emily Blunt goes toe to toe with him. Shot mostly on 16mm film, it looks like a tape somebody found in a gym locker. But it keeps circling the same rough patch without building toward much, and it made $21.1 million worldwide on a reported $50M. A 6.4 because the acting lands every punch while the script shadowboxes. $8.42 says you spend tonight on grainy old Pride fights, rooting for guys who retired decades ago.
What works: Dwayne Johnson disappears into Mark Kerr, gentle and frightened and huge, and Emily Blunt gives him a real sparring partner at home.
What doesn’t: Safdie dodges sports movie clichés so hard that the story loses its shape, and the back half drifts from one rough patch to the next.
Who it’s for: Fight fans who remember the early UFC and Pride days, and anyone curious what Dwayne Johnson can do without a catchphrase.
Spoilers
After a distracted loss in Japan, Mark ends up laughing in the shower, oddly at peace, while his friend Mark Coleman wins the 2000 Pride Grand Prix. An epilogue shows the real Mark Kerr today and notes that he and Dawn got married shortly after that loss.
It's the late nineties, and Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson) is one of the scariest winners in the UFC. Outside the cage, things get wobblier. His relationship with his girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) swings between sweet and stormy, he trains with his friend and fellow fighter Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), and he's leaning harder on painkillers than anyone wants to admit. Meanwhile the big fights are in Japan, and so is a running argument over his paychecks. Bas Rutten plays himself, which rules. Benny Safdie writes and directs. One hundred twenty-three minutes, every round on the line.
Anyone who's ever needed a friend in their corner. Bring a mouthguard.
| Dwayne Johnson | Mark Kerr |
| Emily Blunt | Dawn Staples |
| Ryan Bader | Mark Coleman |
| Bas Rutten | himself |
| Oleksandr Usyk | Igor Vovchanchyn |
| Olga Dzyurak | Igor's translator |
| Lyndsey Gavin | Elizabeth Coleman |
| Satoshi Ishii | Enson Inoue |
| James Moontasri | Akira Shoji |
| Yoko Hamamura | Kazuyuki Fujita |
| Stephen Quadros | himself |
| Paul Cheng | Masaaki Satake |
| Cyborg Abreu | Fábio Gurgel |
| Andre Tricoteux | Paul Varelans |
| Marcus Aurélio | Mestre Hulk |
| Whitney Moore | Jacqueline |
| Paul Lazenby | Hans Nijman |
| Jonathan Corbblah | UFC 1997 interviewer |
| Nala Sinephro | "The Star-Spangled Banner" performer |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 19 October 2026 DataBot +520 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $21.1M; Domestic box office $11.4M; Opening weekend $5.8M; Profit / loss (est.) -$64.4M; Rotten Tomatoes 71%; CinemaScore B−; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 71% (307 reviews); Metacritic 65 / 100; Rotten Tomatoes audience 72% (1,000+ verified ratings); CinemaScore B−; IMDb users 6.3 / 10 (78,623 votes); movie.guru score 4.9.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 19 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.