The Smashing Machine arrived at Venice with exactly the sort of voltage viewers hoped for. On September 1, 2025, The Smashing Machine premiered in competition and drew a reported 15-minute standing ovation, with Dwayne Johnson in tears beside director Benny Safdie, Emily Blunt, and Mark Kerr. The moment quickly reframed The Smashing Machine as a live awards-season player and showcased Johnson’s dramatic pivot from franchise fare to a character study rooted in real bruises.
Sources highlighted the ovation’s length and the emotional response onstage, while some reports framed the reception within the season’s early chatter. Early notices underline Johnson’s vulnerability and Blunt’s counterweight, even as some critics note the heavy prosthetic approach.
Strategically, The Smashing Machine now sprints from Venice to its TIFF Special Presentation on September 8, then into theaters on October 3, 2025, with clean placement on the fall runway for audience discovery.
The Smashing Machine: Inside the 15-minute ovation at Venice
The Smashing Machine earned a 15-minute ovation at its September 1 world premiere in Venice, with Johnson, Safdie, Blunt, and Kerr visibly moved as the crowd stayed on its feet. The premiere and press screening were held at Sala Grande, confirming the festival’s main stage for the debut. Viewers tracking awards momentum will recognize the optics: tears onstage, a sustained ovation, and instant talk about a career-redefining turn.
Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh remarked on an X post posted on September 2, 2025,
“This was the most emotion we’ve since on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here four years ago for ‘The Whale.’”
As per the Variety Australia report dated September 2, 2025, Dwayne Johnson stated,
“I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”
For readers parsing what this signals: ovations don’t equal trophies, but a 15-minute response in Sala Grande, coupled with an emotional cast moment and credible first-wave praise, typically buys a film time and curiosity through TIFF into the opening weekend. In other words, The Smashing Machine exits Venice with oxygen, not a coronation.
How Dwayne Johnson became Mark Kerr
Johnson’s rebuild for The Smashing Machine mixes a slimmer, ring-worn frame with elaborate facial work that makes him nearly unrecognizable as Kerr. Critics split on the trade-off: the prosthetics help the transformation while, for some, they muted micro-expressions in close-ups.
As per a Hollywood Reporter interview report dated September 1, 2025, Dwayne Johnson remarked,
“This transformation was something I was really hungry to do...I had been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had over the years and to make the films that I’ve made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more - I want to do more and what does that look like?”
The ensemble texture matters, too. Emily Blunt’s Dawn grounds The Smashing Machine and, per early reviews, frequently steals scenes, a likely support-campaign anchor if scores stay strong. The film threads Kerr’s arc through addiction, identity, and the physical toll of a sport that devours its champions-stakes that keep The Smashing Machine from becoming a mere victory lap.
Benny Safdie’s solo debut and the awards runway
Director Benny Safdie’s solo feature turn with A24 sets the tonal expectation: tactile, pressure-cooker storytelling that favors human stakes over triumphal mythmaking. Early reactions suggest The Smashing Machine is more a bruised character study than a rousing sports movie, a frame that can play well with voters if performance talk holds.
As per The Guardian report dated September 1, 2025, reviewer Peter Bradshaw remarked,
“No other casting was remotely possible,”
underscoring how the project’s identity is welded to Johnson’s take on Kerr. The path is clear: Venice premiere on September 1, then TIFF Special Presentation on September 8 and finally A24 theatrical release on October 3. Watch for critic-score stabilization, acting-category chatter for Johnson, and a supporting push for Blunt as The Smashing Machine moves from festival heat to box office proof.
Stay tuned for more updates.
VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 01: Dwayne Johnson, Benny Safdie and Emily Blunt attend "The Smashing Machine" photocall during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 01, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Stefania D'Alessandro/WireImage)