As the new A24 film “The Smashing Machine” faces a difficult opening at the box office, a report from Deadline has revealed that star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took a significant pay cut to get the passion project made. The film, a biographical drama about the life of former MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr, opened to a disappointing $5.9 million in the U.S..
According to the Deadline report, Johnson took a fee of $4 million for the film, a substantial reduction from his historical asking price of over $20 million plus points. The report also notes that Johnson gave a portion of his reduced paycheck to his co-star, Emily Blunt, and to the film’s subject, Mark Kerr.
The decision to take a lower fee underscores Johnson’s personal investment in the project, which he first announced in November 2019 at a UFC event. The film, directed by Benny Safdie, was a departure for Johnson, trading his action-hero persona for a gritty, dramatic role as an athlete struggling with drug addiction.
Despite the low opening weekend, which marks a career-low for Johnson in a leading role, the financial risk for the film is reportedly minimized due to its structure. The movie had a net production cost of $50 million, offset by tax credits and approximately $35 million in foreign sales, which Johnson personally lobbied for at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a 15-and-a-half-minute standing ovation and Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Director. However, word of mouth reportedly soured after its North American premiere in Toronto, with audiences discovering it was a “very non-traditional, deliberately paced movie” rather than a typical underdog sports story. This led to a B- CinemaScore, which is in line with many of A24’s other films that tend to divide audiences.
In a social media post addressing the opening weekend, Johnson stated, “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 added, “Truth is this film has changed my life”.
