The Smashing Machine: Dwayne Johnson’s MMA Biopic Hits Theaters on October 3

The Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson’s A24 wrestling film, is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2025. The new A24 movie, which was written and directed by Benny Safdie, portrays Johnson as former wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr.

It follows his battles with substance abuse after his career peaked during the UFC’s no-holds-barred period. Along with a number of actual fighters, including Oleksandr Usyk, Bas Rutten, Ryan Bader, Satoshi Ishii, and Cyborg Abreu, Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples in The Smashing Machine.

Release Date 

On Friday, October 3, 2025, the Mark Kerr biography, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, will be released in theaters.

Cast and Directer

Other names in the cast of “The Smashing Machine” are Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, and Bas Rutten. Benny Safdie of “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time” renown directed and wrote the movie.

Due to changes in competition with other releases, such as the Michael Jackson biopic, the movie will now be released that weekend. The Keeper and Channing Tatum’s latest film, Roofman, will compete against The Smashing Machine.

The Smashing Machine is a movie about Mark Kerr’s career in mixed martial arts. The Rock co-stars with Emily Blunt in the role of Kerr. The two have already worked together on numerous films including Disney’s Jungle Cruise. It will be the sole film that Rock releases in 2025.

A24, the production company behind popular movies like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Moonlight,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” “The Lighthouse,” “Lady Bird,” “Aftersun,” and “The Iron Claw,” is also releasing the movie.

“The Smashing Machine” is currently scheduled to be The Rock’s sole 2025 release. “The Final Boss” will appear in “Moana” and “Jumani 3” in 2026.

About The Smashing Machine

The Smashing Machine should be anything but Oscar bait, despite the fact that its premiere date suggests that A24 has expectations for the biopic during awards season. The Smashing Machine probably won’t be a traditional portrayal of Mark Kerr’s life given Benny Safide’s flair, which was most recently seen in the Showtime series The Curse. Instead of a refined prestige drama, Safdie’s unvarnished and unpolished manner points to a gritty, more chaotic version of Kerr’s existence. The Smashing Machine should be a daring, unorthodox award contender by embracing sincerity over sentimentality.