A24 Drops First Trailer for The Smashing Machine Starring Dwayne Johnson

A24 has released the first official trailer for The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson. The film follows the story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Watch the trailer below.

The film, written and directed by Benny Safdie, also stars Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten as himself, Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn, Lyndsey Gavin as Elizabeth Coleman, Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue, James Moontasri as Akira Shoji, Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita, Stephen Quadros as himself, Paul Cheng as Masaaki Satake, Cyborg Abreu as Fábio Gurgel, Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans, Marcus Aurelio as Mestre Hulk, Whitney Moore as Jacqueline, Paul Lazenby as Hans Nijman, Olga Dzyurak as Igor’s translator, Ryan Ventura as the Pride FC ring announcer, and Zoe Kosovic as McKenzie Coleman.

The Smashing Machine follows Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love, and friendship in the year 2000.

In a recent interview with GQ, Safdie said that Johnson gives a career-best performance as Mark Kerr.

Safdie said, “You really understand the fears, the love, the sadness, the happiness.” He added, “If somebody’s open to doing that and talking about that stuff, then they’re going to be able to give a great performance. Because of how physically strong he is, I don’t know if a lot of people give him that opportunity.”

In an interview with Variety, Johnson said, “I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore humanity and explore struggle and pain.”

Produced by Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, with Eli Bush and David Koplan.

When will The Smashing Machine be released in theaters?

The Smashing Machine will hit theaters on October 3, 2025, by A24.

Source: YouTube