Apparently, no one wants to see Dwayne the Rock Johnson in his newest movie.
“The Smashing Machine” had a two day opening of $2.7 million, looking at a $7 million weekend.
That would be The Rock’s lowest opening since around 2010.
Even his domestic dogs, like “Baywatch,” made over $100 million abroad.
The story of mixed martial artist Mark Kerr had no appeal for anyone, not even other mixed martial artists.
A24, which is usually successful at getting moviegoers to see things that no one understands, couldn’t pull this off.
Wrestling movies, even when they’re top notch like “Foxcatcher,” have trouble at the box office.
Even “The Iron Claw,” starring a pre-Springsteen Jeremy Allen White, made $35 million.
“Smashing Machine” won’t get near that, and probably ends the “For Your Consideration” like Oscar hopes for The Rock.
It’s amazing how the hype from the Venice Film Festival doesn’t translate into reality. Oh, the raves! The tweets!
And then…splat.
“Smashing Machine” seems very odd because it trades on Johnson’s fame, but he looks like someone else in the clips. If that person is real life wrestler Mark Kerr, maybe he can make a movie where he looks like Johnson.
