The Smashing Machine North America Box Office: Dwayne Johnson’s Sports Drama Drops 69% In Second Weekend

Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine faces a steep 69% second-weekend drop, making it one of his worst box office performances in two decades.

- October 13, 2025 | 11:59 PM IST

The Smashing Machine faced a steep fall in its second week at the box office. The film, directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson as UFC legend Mark Kerr, opened on October 2, 2025, at the US with a 3-day domestic debut of $5.8 million but that opening became the lowest for any wide release led by Johnson.

The Smashing Machine Box Office: Drops 69% In Second Weekend

By the end of its second weekend, the film added nearly $1.8 million to its total, further propelling its domestic earnings down the chart. It slid from the third spot to eighth, recording a sharp 69% decline, the worst drop among all Top 10 titles that weekend. Its domestic projection now stands between $12 million and $15 million, while its international earnings have reached $3.1 million, per Box Office Mojo.

The Smashing Machine Sees One Of The Worst Drops In Dwayne Johnson’s Career

This drop is the second-biggest of Johnson’s career, only behind 2005’s Doom, which plunged 72.7% in its second week. It also marks the first time in two decades that a Dwayne Johnson-led movie has stumbled this hard. The Smashing Machine has now become his 10th film to record a second-weekend fall of more than 60%.

The only bright spot for the film is the reception. It holds a Certified Fresh score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 76%. Moreover, industry chatter suggests Johnson’s performance could push him toward a Best Actor nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards.

The movie, however, carries a production cost of $50 million and given its current earnings path, recovering that amount through theatrical revenue looks increasingly unlikely.

The Smashing Machine Box Office Summary