UFC Icon Defends Dwayne Johnson After The Smashing Machine Flops at the Box Office
Few Hollywood stars have made as bold a leap as Dwayne Johnson did portraying UFC legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. Moving away from his usual blockbuster persona, Johnson delivered a raw and unflinching performance depicting addiction, redemption, and physical sacrifice.
Despite earning critical acclaim and even early Oscar buzz, the film's disappointing box office results have upset many, including UFC veteran Bruce Buffer. On his podcast with TJ De Santis and Ray Longo, Buffer expressed both admiration and concern for Johnson’s work and the film’s commercial failure.
“It was a tour de force for The Rock and Emily Blunt. They did a fantastic job with what they were given,” Buffer said. “For the benefit of Mark Kerr, I was hoping it'd be a huge hit because I'd hope Mark had a piece of the action.”
Directed by Benny Safdie and produced by A24, the movie forsakes the polished spectacle typical of Johnson’s roles. Instead, it dives into the bruised humanity of a man battling inner demons as fiercely as his opponents.
According to MMA Fighting, Johnson devoted up to four hours daily in prosthetics to authentically portray Kerr’s transformation both in and out of the cage.
Summary
Dwayne Johnson’s gritty portrayal of Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine won critical praise but failed commercially, prompting UFC’s Bruce Buffer to voice admiration mixed with disappointment.
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