Dwayne Johnson has dominated headlines this week, but not just for his latest film. The Smashing Machine, his deeply personal sports biopic about UFC champion Mark Kerr, was released on October 3 across over 3000 theaters in North America. While expectations for the film were high—especially with the star power of Johnson and Emily Blunt—it’s been a box office letdown so far, pulling in less than 18 million dollars total and just over 10.7 million domestically according to reporting by IMDB and KoiMoi. Still, the film has outperformed some other star-driven releases this season, making it a curious case of modest success amid disappointment.
What’s making more noise than ticket sales, however, is the critical buzz surrounding Johnson’s performance. In perhaps the season’s most headline-grabbing endorsement, director Christopher Nolan told The Independent that Dwayne Johnson has delivered the best movie performance of 2025, a statement sending ripples through both Hollywood and sports media. That kind of unqualified praise from a filmmaker of Nolan’s stature could have lasting impact on how Johnson is perceived as a serious actor, and not just an action star or wrestler-turned-brand.
Adding to the week’s narrative, Johnson made a rare but memorable podcast appearance on the New Heights show with NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce. The discussion turned emotional and inspiring when Johnson reflected on his failed NFL dreams and ultimate success as an owner in the United Football League. He called it a full circle moment, saying it’s been “humbling” and “the greatest feeling in the world” to create opportunities for players who, just like him, may have missed out on the NFL dream but get a second chance through the UFL. That vulnerable share has fans revisiting Johnson’s path from college football hopeful to global megastar, with major outlets highlighting his story as aspirational.
His engagement with the UFL, though infrequent recently, just got a major visibility boost from that podcast. Clips have circulated widely on social media, reigniting fan conversations about his future in sports business and whether his lack of day-to-day involvement will change moving forward given his renewed public commentary.
Johnson also recounted a formative moment in his youth, as reported by SportBible, admitting he turned down a second chance at football in Canada, a decision he now calls his “best ever.” This peek behind his success resonates strongly, especially with aspiring athletes and performers grappling with rejection and career pivots.
While there are no scandalous headlines or confirmed new ventures this week, social buzz has been steady, particularly around his biopic’s reception and Nolan’s praise. Whether The Smashing Machine’s box office fate will define this chapter of Johnson’s career is still an open question, but the critical acclaim and emotional storytelling around his own journey are giving fans, critics, and the business world plenty to talk about as of October 18, 2025.
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Episode Transcript
Dwayne Johnson has dominated headlines this week, but not just
for his latest film, The Smashing Machine. His deeply personal
sports biopic about UFC champion Mark Kerr, was released on
October third across over three thousand theaters in North America.
While expectations for the film were high, especially with the
star power of Johnson and Emily Blunt, it's been a
(00:21):
box office letdown so far, culling in less than eighteen
million dollars total and just over ten point seven million
dollars domestically according to reporting by IMDb and ko imo I. Still,
the film has outperformed some other star driven releases this season,
making it a curious case of modest success amid disappointment.
(00:44):
What's making more noise than ticket sales, however, is the
critical buzz surrounding Johnson's performance in perhaps the season's most
headline grabbing. Endorsement. Director Christopher Nowan told The Independent that
Dwayne Johnson has delivered the best movie performance of twenty five,
a statement sending ripples through both Hollywood and sports media.
(01:05):
That kind of unqualified praise from a filmmaker of Nolan's
stature could have lasting impact of the how Johnson is
perceived as a serious actor and not just an action
star or wrestler turned brand. Adding to the week's narrative,
Johnson made a rare but memorable podcast appearance on The
New Heights Show with NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelsey.
(01:27):
The discussion turned emotional and inspiring when Johnson reflected on
his failed NFL dreams and ultimate success as an owner
in the United Football Lead. He called it a full
circle moment, saying it's been humbling and the greatest feeling
in the world to create opportunities for players who just
like him, may have missed out on the NFL dream
(01:50):
but get a second chance through the UFL. That vulnerable
share has fans revisiting Johnson's path from college football hopeful
to global megastine, with major outlets highlighting his story as aspirational.
His engagement with the UFL, though infrequent recently, just got
a major visibility boost from that podcast. Clips have circulated
(02:12):
widely on social media, reigniting fan conversations about his future
in sports business and whether his lack of day to
day involvement will change moving forward. Given his renewed public commentary,
Johnson also recounted a formative moment in his youth, as
reported by sport Bible, admitting he turned down a second
chance at football in Canada, a decision he now calls
(02:35):
his best ever. This peak behind his success resonates strongly,
especially with aspiring athletes and performers grappling with rejection and
career pivots. While there are no scandalous headlines or confirmed
new ventures this week, social buzz has been steady, particularly
around his biopics reception and Nolan's praise. Whether The Smashing
(02:57):
Machine's box office fate will define this chapter of Johnson's
career is still an open question, but the critical acclaim
and emotional storytelling around his own journey are giving fans, critics,
and the business world plenty to talk about. As of
October eighteenth, twenty twenty five. And that is it for today.
(03:18):
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