Washington DC [US], October 7 : Actor Dwayne Johnson experienced the worst box office opening of his career with 'The Smashing Machine', the film that debuted to a rough 5.9 million USD domestically, reported Variety. The actor has now reacted to the box office collection of the movie.
Taking to his Instagram handle on Monday, Johnson praised director Benny Safdie for changing his life with the film and pointed out the volatile nature of the "box office" collections in the world of cinema.
"From deep in my grateful bones, thank you to everyone who has watched 'The Smashing Machine'. In our storytelling world, you can't control box office results but what I realised you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere. And I will always run to that opportunity," wrote Dwayne Johnson.
While expressing his gratitude to director Benny Safdie for casting him in the role of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, the actor wrote, "It was my honour to transform in this role for my director, Benny Safdie. Thank you brother for believing in me. Truth i,s this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy, DJ."
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'The Smashing Machine' cratered in third place at the box office with 5.9 million USD from 3,345 venues, reported Variety.
The ticket sales were below projections of 8 million to 15 million USD and marked a career low for Johnson, below his 2010 thriller 'Faster', according to the outlet.
It's also a blow to A24, which spent 50 million USD to produce the movie and many millions more on promotional efforts, including stops at Venice and Toronto Film Festival, reported Variety.
'The Smashing Machine' was largely acclaimed when it premiered at Venice, with Safdie winning the fest's best director prize.
According to the outlet, Johnson plays two-time UFC heavyweight champ Kerr in the true story drama opposite Emily Blunt as Kerr's wife Dawn Staples.
The film tracks their volatile relationship amid Kerr's professional highs and lows in MMA, including his substance abuse struggles. Kerr was a mixed martial artist who fought from 1997 to 2009, winning four ADCC World Championships in his career.
'The Smashing Machine' is currently running in the theatres.
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