Dwayne Johnson breaks down in tears during the standing ovation for his new movie, The Smashing Machine. Written and directed by Benny Safdie (Good Time, Uncut Gems), the A24 biographical sports drama stars Dwayne Johnson as the former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, following the peak of his career during the no-holds-barred era of the UFC, to his struggles with substance abuse.

In addition to Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, The Smashing Machine‘s cast also includes Oscar nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) as Mark Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, the two stars reuniting after Disney’s Jungle Cruise (2021). Blunt also reunites with Benny Safdie after Oppenheimer (2023). MMA figures Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, and Stephen Quadros also star.

After The Smashing Machine‘s premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, Dwayne Johnson broke down in tears during the thunderous 15-minute standing ovation, which is among the longest of this year’s festival. Watch a video below, via Variety‘s Ramin Setoodeh on X:

\n”‘};

window.arrayOfEmbedScripts[“twitter”] = “”””;

During the ovation, director Benny Safdie embraced both stars and, overwhelmed with emotion, joined Johnson in crying tears of joy as the applause carried on. Mark Kerr himself was also moved to tears as the credits played.

What This Means For Dwayne Johnson & The Smashing Machine

​​​​Ever since The Smashing Machine was first announced in December 2024, it was deemed Dwayne Johnson’s most dramatic role yet, who typically opts for blockbuster action and family fare, and was seen as a potential Oscar contender. The Venice Film Festival is often seen as the unofficial kickoff to awards season, and thus marks the first step in Johnson’s campaign.

As the ovation roared on, The Smashing Machine delivered the most emotional premiere at the Venice Film Festival since Brendan Fraser broke down in tears four years ago, marking the start of his Oscar run for The Whale. Based on the overwhelming response to his portrayal of Mark Kerr, Johnson could be on a very similar path to the Oscars.

Our Take On The Smashing Machine’s Premiere

Though it seems like The Smashing Machine has been seen as a potential Oscar contender ever since it was announced, its standing ovation at Venice could be the moment that Dwayne Johnson’s campaign was truly realized. He takes a more dramatic turn as Mark Kerr, playing a troubled fighter battling personal demons, and is nearly unrecognizable under layers of prosthetics as he embodies the imposing UFC heavyweight champion.

The Smashing Machine has all the makings of an Oscar-worthy performance for Dwayne Johnson, and based on the overwhelming praise for his portrayal of Mark Kerr, he seems well on his way to the Academy Awards next year.