Dwayne Johnson‘s performance in The Smashing Machine has been receiving immense praise, although the film itself is getting mixed reviews. The latest positive comments on his performance come from Kurt Angle, who had competed against both Johnson and his film’s subject, Mark Kerr, in the past.
Angle shared on X that he watched The Rock’s latest film and believed it would be considered a classic. He then reminisced about his encounter with Kerr, sharing that he had to beat “The Guy” to qualify for the Olympic Games. He shared that Kerr’s story was a “truly inspirational” one in wrestling.
He further delved into the performance of Johnson, calling him “one of the greatest performers of today.” He shared that Johnson took the role and elevated it to a whole other level, adding that he had no words to express how much he loved the performance.
Angle went on to share that the movie deserved an Oscar and congratulated everyone involved in the movie. His X post read:
Just watched The Smashing Machine. What a fantastic film that I believe will be considered a classic. Mark Kerr was "The Guy" I had to beat to qualify for the Olympic Games, which pushed me to transform into a version of myself I never thought I could be. Your story, beyond…
Mark Kerr had fought a total of eight matches with Angle, winning 4 out of them. Kerr competed for a spot on the U.S. national wrestling team in the 1996 Olympics. He partnered with Angle to train for the matches, but fate brought them against each other for the Olympic qualifiers.
In the closely contested match, Angle emerged as the winner. He went on to bag the gold medal for his country.
Despite Praises, The Smashing Machine‘s Dismal Performance at the Box Office Continues
Despite Dwayne Johnson’s performance, the film failed to pull the crowd in theaters. The film opened at a record low for Johnson, just collecting $6 million from 3,345 venues. Film analysts have pointed out various reasons for the film’s failure despite strong performances.
One of the major issues with the film was that Mark Kerr was not a super-popular MMA fighter. The MMA was an emerging sport in the late 90s and did not have the mainstream popularity like WWE. So even though Kerr had a solid record, he just didn’t have the mass recognition.
Another reason for the film’s downfall could be that it wasn’t a glamorous portrayal of Kerr’s in-ring life. Instead of showing Kerr’s biggest career moments, Benny Safdie showed the icon’s ups and downs of his life and his relationship with those around him during these tough times.
The film also showed how Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt, influenced his life and career, both the good side and the bad side. The movie also faced an unexpected competition in the form of Taylor Swift’s movie, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl. Swift’s film debuted with a $33 million domestic collection and a $13 million from the international markets (via Variety).
Moreover, the film had a budget of $50 million, which was just too much for a biopic and even more so for an arthouse production studio like A24. Johnson addressed the failure of the film at the box office in his Instagram post, sharing:
From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched ‘The Smashing Machine’. In our storytelling world, you can’t control box office results — but what I realized, [what] you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere.
Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions and Safdie’s Out for the Count banner collaborated in the production of the film.
Will Dwayne Johnson’s Transformation Into Mark Kerr Earn Him an Oscar?
Dwayne Johnson completely transformed into Mark Kerr for The Smashing Machine. Even for the WWE wrestler, playing the two-time UFC heavyweight champion was physically challenging. Kerr had shared with Sports Illustrated earlier that he was 275 pounds at the time with 5% body fat.
Johnson detailed the physical challenges during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He revealed how Benny Safdie asked him to get even bigger for the role. He shared:
Our director, Benny Safdie. He is the best. He said to me, ‘Hey DJ, I don’t know how to tell you this, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this; [but] you’re gonna have to get bigger.
He shared that he had to put on over 30 pounds of muscle to transform into Kerr. He also shared that he had to put on the weight and still move like an MMA fighter. Johnson shared:
I had to put on just over 30 pounds of muscle…Mark Kerr had just this quality of muscle, like, fast-twitch-quality muscle, because he was a wrestler [who transitioned to MMA]. And I had to put on this weight, [and] still be able to move like an MMA fighter.
Besides telling the story of Kerr inside the ring, The Smashing Machine will also tell his struggle with addiction, love, and friendship. Johnson shared how he had to film emotionally-charged scenes with Emily Blunt in the film (via ESPN). He revealed that it left him and Blunt “emotionally wrecked.”
The film received a 15-minute-long standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Interestingly, several people have commented about the possibility of Johnson receiving an Oscar nod for the film.
What do you think about Kurt Angle’s praise for Johnson and his film? Let us know in the comments below!
The Smashing Machine is now running in theaters near you.
