Dwayne Johnson Speaks Out After ‘Smashing Machine’ Becomes His Worst Opening Ever: ‘You Can’t Control Box Office Results’
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/dwayne-johnson-smashing-machine-worst-box-office-opening-1236541398/
102 points · 62 comments · view on lemmy.world
62 Comments
FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world · 73 pts · 313d
I didn't even hear about this one
saltesc@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 313d
I saw something for it somewhere once and it seemed interesting until the title came up, then I was given the impression it'll be lame and never thought about it again.
can@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 313d
They should have included the subtitle
saltesc@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 313d
Aaay. That would've made a lot more sense.
With no context, the impression I got was like watching a brief trailer for Sully, except Tom Hanks has a reputation for things like Fast and Furious, and the trailer ends with, "Redemption Most Fowl, in cinemas blah blah..."
brem@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 313d
I think it's another movie about people punching people? Seems to be the big trend these days ...
TargaryenTKE@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 313d
It's more like a biopic that deals with addiction, personal loss, AND punching people. I don't think it was ever expected to make big bucks at the box office.
neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 51 pts · 313d
Benny Safdie doesn't make box-office-numbers kinds of movies.
Besides, Johnson's producing it. It's his money. He wanted Oscar bait and got Oscar bait.
jonne@infosec.pub · 13 pts · 313d
Yeah, from what I've seen it looks great, it's just not a blockbuster or even trying to be one.
reddig33@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 313d
Looked cringe to me. Throwing on a wig doesn’t automatically make you a “serious actor”. And a bad wig at that. Like someone else said, the whole thing reeks of Oscar bait.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 312d
Probably could have been good, but casting Johnson seems insane knowing what Mark Kerr looked like.
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 312d
A WIG is what you saw? I saw AI slop being repurposed as CGI.
sploosh@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 313d
He's going for his WWEGOT.
artyom@piefed.social · 3 pts · 313d
If Dewayne gets an Oscar then the whole thing is a sham.
MotoAsh@piefed.social · 6 pts · 313d
Hollywood running its own rewards shows has always been the Obama putting a medal on Obama meme...
In fact, rewards ceremonies for most things are nothing but BS. Very, very few are actual rewards that seriously considered all applicable content, and even fewer serve a purpose beyond ego inflation.
artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 312d
I think it's more about increasing perceived value. I've definitely seen professionals literally just paying for awards.
MotoAsh@piefed.social · 1 pts · 312d
Oh, perceived value... I guess that would be the outward side of ego for individuals like celebs. lol Only so many careers where those two can go hand in hand. (although under very much NOT meritocratic capitalism, ego goes a lot further than it should...)
Nanook@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 313d
lol, that’s your line? The whole thing has been a sham from the beginning.
RustyShackleford@lemmy.zip · 25 pts · 313d
Was this worse than Black Adam, because that was so bad it damaged a franchise’s stability.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 313d
almost anything johnson have been in damaged that franchise.
IWW4@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 312d
/boggle
The rest of that franchise damaged that franchises stability…
SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 21 pts · 313d
Havent seen it. But I've heard good things. Like its obvious Oscar bait, but one of the better performances by him.
kowcop@aussie.zone · 20 pts · 313d
Think of the niche market that an MMA sports movie is appealing to
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 313d
Johnson's not even MMA. His claim to fame is wrestling. The goofy older brother of MMA lets you abuse steroids until you're a giant muscle balloon just to lose to a guy called "The Transphobic Tickler"
kowcop@aussie.zone · 12 pts · 313d
That’s what I mean.. the movie is about MMA. I don’t have any particular interest in MMA, and I am sure lots of people out there like me might watching a boxing movie but don’t care about MMA. Anyway, just seems a very niche movie with a limited audience to be whinging about box office
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 313d
Niche is honestly being nice about this movie.
RaoulDuke@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 313d
Saw it this weekend. The acting was good, but the movie in general was boring and anticlimactic. Definitely a snoozer.
P00ptart@lemmy.world · -18 pts · 313d
The fact that you saw it after seeing clips makes me question your ability to reason.
TargaryenTKE@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 313d
The fact that you assume everyone to take the same stance as you makes me question your ability to be open-minded
P00ptart@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 312d
The trailers were absolute trash. The main character didn't even look like CGI, it looked like AI slop.
TargaryenTKE@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 312d
That... that's called lighting effects... films have been using them since, well, the very beginning of film. Now I have zero proof that no AI whatsoever was used to make the movie, but you can't be mad because it LOOKS like they did. If nothing else that's just going to strengthen the link in people's brains between "AI art" and "(over)polished"
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 312d
It definitely isn't lighting. If it's not AI then it's really bad CGI.
thoro@lemmy.ml · 14 pts · 313d
What are these comments? This is a comm for people who like movies? It's a Safdie movie that by all accounts is at least decent, even if it flirts with "Oscar bait". Weird to almost revel in its box office failure.
TheImpressiveX@piefed.social · 8 pts · 312d
I think a lot of people here just don't like The Rock.
Personally, I'm indifferent to him.
P00ptart@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 312d
Oscar bait with AI slop CGI?
Jhex@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 312d
The Rock always was a movie "star" because peoplee saw him as a relatable dude, he was never a good actor
After becoming a diva, he destroyed his own value... plus only Rogan idiots care about MMA
I like movies... nothing here calls my attention except perhaps the question "how did they drag Emily Blunt into this?"
golli@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 312d
Is that actually the case? To me he never seemed relatable. If I had to describe him he is/was pretty much the personification of the type of movies he had success with. Over the top, generally positive and lighthearted, and firmly in the pure entertainment not art category. But I wouldn't call him relatable.
Jhex@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 312d
Well, personally I agree with you... I have a real hard time with the American Celebrity Worship mentality but that is what I kept on reading online about The Rock.
I never actually liked any of his movies because even if they are to be silly, action goofiness, I need a good cast that sells that... his wooden, always-the-same, performance was just boring. His are the type of movies I would not pause to go to the bathroom. However, this is a matter of taste and everybody can have their own and no need to justify them
Having said that, I was very willing to be less critical of his work when I thought he was a nice guy to his fans... now that I know he is yet another self-centered diva, I couldn't care less if he retires and never makes another film
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 12 pts · 313d
no, you're just not a good actor, and many other people had problems with you, cavil, vin disesal. plus you try to strongarm the DCU by trying to hijack it.
rozodru@piefed.social · 10 pts · 313d
As someone who is a fan of pro wrestling it's kinda funny and a bit weird how quickly The Rock allowed his mask to slip.
for years and years he was seen as a nice guy, giving people homes and trucks and what have you, even in the wrestling biz he was considered a nice guy. then the failures started happening and his demeanor and personality started to change or maybe his true nature started coming to light.
Ends up he's not a good person. Ends up he's more like Hulk Hogan.
MotoAsh@piefed.social · 6 pts · 313d
Wait, a person looking for fame and fortune via glorifying themselves turned out to be a bad person?!
... Holy shit celebrity culture has cooked peoples' brains... cannot even finish my mock surprise.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 312d
John Cena seems to be a genuinely good dude. And he's a good actor and funny
distantsounds@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 313d
"No one wants what I'm selling" ..Maybe stop making crap lol
MyBrainHurts@piefed.ca · 11 pts · 313d
Ironically, I'd imagine this is his best movie. Certainly the most grown up one. As far as I know, no explosions, almost certainly no cars flying off/through buildings etc. Just a drama for adults aka the kind of movie that hasn't done well at the box office for the last quarter century or so.
distantsounds@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 313d
But most importantly, does he wear a tan t-shirt...which reflects his style & personality
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 313d
shocker.. it's ALL crap
mogoh@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 313d
Dwayne "The Scorpion King" Johnson complaining about the box office opening of his latest movie?
Trill88@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 313d
fascicle@leminal.space · 7 pts · 313d
Oooh that smashing machine, what did I watch
njm1314@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 312d
I know I saw an advertisement or two about this movie, I just couldn't tell you what it was about. Like it did no work at drawing me in and making me want to see the film. The only thing I remember about the ad was the rock looked like he had a weird shaped head in it. That's it that's all I got. I think he was a boxer and his head was weird that's it.
buddascrayon@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 312d
Or, just realize that simply having a famous name like yours doesn't make people automatically want to shell out $30+ a person to watch whatever slop you've decided to star in.
IWW4@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 312d
Two things that I just don’t give a shit about are The Rock and MMA. I may check this out when it gets to the streaming platforms, but that won’t. Be until football season is over.
dumbass@aussie.zone · 4 pts · 313d
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 312d
After 2020 i lost the desire to go to the movies
I think there's a lot of people out there that realized movies at home are more enjoyable and cheaper, or are afraid of getting shot.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world · -19 pts · 313d
Oh no is the rich celebrity butt hurt their product didn’t sell.
Oh no what is the rest of the world going to do?
Probably focus on real issues instead of your advertising disguised as a story.
Rich fucking shithead.
FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 30 pts · 313d
Yeah, how dare the actor discuss the movie he acted in.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world · -9 pts · 313d
Salesman talking about mediocre sales.
Nothing about this is credibly a good story or worth reading as a movie enthusiast.
This is corporate propaganda at best.
FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 313d
Yea, it’s fine to not care for the movie but it’s also fine for the artists involved with the production to discuss why they care about it.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 313d
You're not allowed to watch any movies or TV shows ever. By nature of audience size, they generate big incomes. You support the rich if you do. So you won't now, right?
MotoAsh@piefed.social · 1 pts · 313d
As much as the other guy is a trolling shithead, that logic you're using is about as stupid as the people who claim a pirated copy is literally a lost sale...
Not only do movies and media in general have zero requirements for massive paychecks, there are many great shows/movies with tiny budgets where the people involved very much did NOT make The Rock sized wages. So you're plain wrong even on a fundamental level, let alone what you meant by using it as a response...
It doesn't make OP right, it just makes that a very, very dumb comment, let alone comeback.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 312d
I agree with you, but the context doesn't make much sense. I can be cryptic, so it's my bad.
MotoAsh@piefed.social · 1 pts · 312d
I hear you. I just have to push back against anyone who is clearly assuming certain jobs simply deserve their insanely high paychecks. Virtually nobody should be making The Rock kind of money, and anyone operating on the assumption that it's not only totally fine but should be assumed for some jobs really gets my hackles up.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 313d
I have downloaded everything I’ve watched for the last two decades 🏴☠️
Literally doesn’t change shit for me bro. Try harder.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 312d
Fuckin' made my day. Oh, lordy.
One of those snorts that's almost an actual laugh out loud moment. And no, you didn't make any jokes unless this is like some sort of character. Good shit.