Dwayne Johnson‘s The Smashing Machine failed to land a knockout at the box office, continuing a disappointing trend in his Hollywood status. After gaining notoriety as The Rock in the WWE, Johnson first pivoted to acting with 2001’s The Mummy Returns. He quickly became a star on the big screen, elevating films with his charisma and action-star qualities.

He was highly sought-after by many studios, as his name could lead to higher box office potential. He’s often credited for turning the Fast and Furious franchise around, as the series became a box office juggernaut following 2011’s Fast Five. However, after almost 25 years in the industry, he’s focusing less on profits and more on challenging himself.

His latest film, The Smashing Machine, may be his best performance yet and is generating possible Oscar buzz. Unfortunately, the praise for Johnson’s performance failed to compete with Taylor Swift at the box office, as the film only made $6 million domestically in its opening weekend. While it is a smaller film, it may signal that Johnson’s status as a box office king is officially over.

The Smashing Machine Is The Latest Live-Action Dwayne Johnson Film To Underperform At The Box Office

The Smashing Machine is a sports biopic from A24 about MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film stars Johnson as Kerr and tracks his journey as he faces physical and internal struggles while pursuing greatness in his fighting career. Despite its true story, the film heavily promotes The Rock’s transformation into Kerr and his committed performance in the role.

Unfortunately, that may not be enough to turn a profit. Its $6 million opening weekend is rough, especially since the film has a $50 million budget. While A24 typically doesn’t make movies for broad box office appeal, failing to break even on this film with Johnson would be highly disappointing.

However, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising considering the results of Johnson’s recent projects. The actor hasn’t had a live-action theatrical hit since 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level. Films like Jungle Cruise, Black Adam, and Red One underperformed and failed to capitalize on Johnson’s perceived box office draw.

The exception to Johnson’s recent struggles is 2024’s Moana 2, which kicked off a historic Thanksgiving box office on its way to earning over $1.05 billion worldwide. However, few would likely define the animated film as a Dwayne Johnson movie; the popularity of the characters is undoubtedly what drew audiences in, as evidenced by Moana‘s streaming dominance in the preceding years.

Looking at Johnson’s live-action efforts, Jungle Cruise made $220 million on a $200 million production budget, and thus likely did not turn in a true profit. However, its box office struggles could be blamed more on its proximity to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it released theatrically and on Disney+ on the same day in 2021. Unfortunately, Black Adam doesn’t have the same excuse.

The DC film made $393 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. While it wasn’t a disastrous flop, it also failed to change the landscape of the DCEU as it advertised. It may not be The Rock’s fault for the film’s failure, as it received poor reviews, and premiered at a time when audiences had lost interest in DC.

Just last year, Red One was a mᴀssive box office flop and only made $186 million worldwide on a $250 million budget. While audiences who saw it seemed to enjoy the Christmas action flick, a 30% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes may have been what kept audiences away.

One connection between these films is that they received mixed-to-poor reviews from critics. While The Smashing Machine‘s reviews are mostly positive, The Rock’s recent poor decision-making for projects may have turned audiences away from his films. If they’ve begun to ᴀssociate him with unsatisfying movies, then perhaps he’s no longer an appealing reason to venture out to the theater.

Johnson’s box office struggles may be alarming, but there are opportunities for him to get back on track. 2026’s live-action Moana film will likely do very well, especially after the animated sequel’s aforementioned success. There is also a third Jumanji film on the way, meaning Johnson‘s box office woes could come to an end next year. For now, though, it’s safe to say he isn’t quite as infallible as he once was.