Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has received his first Golden Globes nomination. The wrestler-turned-actor, long known for bombastic action movies, had been looking to pivot into more serious roles for some time. Now, Johnson finds himself sharing the Best Actor category with some of Hollywood’s biggest talents.
Golden Globes Nominations — Best Actor in a Drama Film:
• Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
• Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
• Michael B Jordan, Sinners
• Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
• Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen
• Oscar Issac, FrankensteinSee the full nominees… pic.twitter.com/lC7Dv58d5L
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 8, 2025
While The Smashing Machine was KO’d at the box office, Johnson’s portrayal of MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr places him in the running for a major win. It’s possible that Johnson may even be a contender for an Oscar.
Oscar Buzz
A24, the studio behind The Smashing Machine, is known for its art-house films. When Johnson signed with them for the Kerr biopic, and production photos showed The Rock looking almost completely unrecognizable, some still questioned if he had the acting chops for a drama.
The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September, and Oscar buzz immediately followed.
The Rock crying in the Smashing Machine – Youtube, A24
Variety drew comparisons to Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-nominated performance in 2008’s The Wrestler, noting that both actors had backgrounds in combat sports on which they could build their performances. Variety also compared Johnson’s physical transformation to Brendan Fraser’s Oscar-winning turn in 2022’s The Whale (also from A24).
Rourke notably won a Golden Globe for his performance, and Fraser was nominated for his. Johnson’s Globe nomination may bode well for Academy Award consideration.
Yes, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is a Serious Oscar Contender for ‘The Smashing Machine’ https://t.co/IDIYVngfUc
— Variety (@Variety) September 9, 2025
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Leading up to the film’s wide release, Johnson said of his performance, “Once I crossed this line into dramatic work, I knew I’d have to go to dark places — into trauma, pain, stuff I didn’t want to touch for years.” He added, “This movie gave me a place to put all that stuff. I don’t know if it’s method — whatever it is — I went for it.”
Unfortunately for The Smashing Machine, audiences largely stayed home.
Box Office Bomb
Reviews for The Smashing Machine and Johnson’s performance were generally positive. However, despite The Rock getting a Golden Globes nomination out of this, the story of Kerr’s career and tumultuous personal life was far different from Johnson’s usual popcorn entertainment, and audiences largely stayed home.
The Rock laying on the mat in The Smashing Machine – YouTube, A24
Critic Christian Toto noted in his review, “We see the horrors of addiction, a dysfunctional romance, major MMA battles and more.” He goes on to add that “every time we expect a training montage or climactic fight the film yanks us back into the real world.”
The Smashing Machine was one of the movies to hit theaters in an historically bad October. It debuted at number three at the U.S. box office and only pulled in $5.8 million, making it the lowest opening weekend of Johnson’s career as a leading man. In its second weekend, The Smashing Machine dropped 69% and fell into eighth place.
Comparatively, Johnson’s Black Adam — considered a disappointment at the time — opened in October 2022 at number one and raked in $67 million.
Redemption
“The big movies are fun and they make a lot of people happy,” Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter. “But I also felt like there was just more, and I felt like I should challenge myself, and I was ready to chase the challenge and not chase the box office.”
The Rock with his hand raised in victory in The Smashing Machine – YouTube, A24
Perhaps The Smashing Machine was never going to catch on at the box office. It remains to be seen if the challenge with which The Rock presented himself as an actor will win him a coveted award at the Golden Globes, and perhaps an Oscar.
Do you think The Rock has a shot at the Golden Globes even though no one saw his movie? Let us know in the comments!
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It’s funny because he will never be anything but, “the rock”. Same with marky mark and the fresh prince.
Once you self-apply your own handle to begin your career, that moniker will stick (and should) with you for the rest of your life like Hester Pryne’s Scarlett letter.