20 Recent Box Office Bombs EVERYONE Saw Coming

8. The Smashing Machine

The buzz surrounding Benny Safdie's new film The Smashing Machine centered almost entirely around Dwayne Johnson's transformative performance as troubled MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with some even suggesting that Johnson might receive an Oscar nomination for his strong work (he didn't).

But considering that 2024's similarly themed but far more accessible wrestling biopic The Iron Claw cracked a modest $45.2 million at the box office, it didn't seem likely that this more abrasive $50 million biopic would become a mainstream breakout.

Ultimately, The Smashing Machine opened to $5.8 million, the lowest of Johnson's tentpole-filled career, and by the end of its run, it reaped a poor $21.1 million worldwide.

Johnson noted his disappointment with the film's box office results on social media, though expressed pride for the undeniably hard graft he put into his career-best performance, which if nothing else proves that he has far more to offer beyond his usual blockbuster shtick.