The Rock Cries After ‘The Smashing Machine’ Receives 15 Minute Standing Ovation At The Venice Film Festival
Venice goes crazy for ‘The Smashing Machine’.
On Monday, September 1, the Dwayne Johnson-starring Mark Kerr biopic premiered to rave reviews and praise at the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy.
As is tradition with most festival premieres, the film received a lengthy standing ovation. Outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter say that the ovation lasted fifteen minutes, higher than other premieres like ‘After The Hunt’, ‘Bugonia’, ‘No Other Choice’, ‘Jay Kelly’, and ‘Frankenstein’.
Notably, Johnson took in the ovation with a ton of emotion, sharing a few tears alongside his co-star, Emily Blunt.
Dwayne Johnson cries during the 15-minute standing ovation for his new movie ‘THE SMASHING MACHINE’
Read our review: https://t.co/ejtQIs1Usz pic.twitter.com/17pQYebeat
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 1, 2025
As of publish time, the film has a 94% approval rating with 16 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is described as “hard-hitting”, “heartfelt”, “strangely haunting”, “stirring” and “invigorating” by various critics.
A24 will release ‘The Smashing Machine’ to theaters on Friday, October 3. Aside from Johnson and Blunt, the film stars Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Paul Cheng, Marcus Aurelio, Byron Capers, and Lyndsey Gavin. The film is directed and written by Benny Safdie, who is widely known for his work on Uncut Gems.
The Rock has been open about his role in the film, saying that it allowed him to take a turn away from his typical blockbuster roles. Check out his full comments by clicking here.
