From Flop to No. 1: Dwayne Johnson Biopic Dominates Streaming

Well, that flipped fast. Dwayne Johnson's MMA biopic The Smashing Machine face-planted at the box office last fall, then quietly slipped onto HBO Max and shot straight to the top. Not bad for a movie everyone just wrote off a few months ago.

Now streaming - and sitting at #1

As of January 27, 2026, The Smashing Machine is the most-watched movie on HBO Max, per FlixPatrol. It just landed on the service and immediately outran some heavy hitters, including this year's Oscar juggernaut and a stack of evergreen action staples.

• 1 - The Smashing Machine
• 2 - Sinners (this year's Oscar leader with a record 16 nominations)
• 3 - One Battle After Another
• 4 - Twilight
• 5 - Weapons
• 6 - John Wick
• 7 - John Wick: Chapter 2
• 8 - The Twilight Saga: New Moon
• 9 - The Brutalist
• 10 - John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

For context: The Smashing Machine opened in theaters in October 2025, earned good notices, and still bombed. Now it's leapfrogging a record-breaking awards contender and three different John Wick entries. The internet moves in mysterious ways.

Awards story: light Oscars, better Globes

Despite strong buzz for the performances, the Academy mostly passed. The Smashing Machine's only Oscar nomination is for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The Golden Globes were kinder: Dwayne Johnson was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, and Emily Blunt scored a nod for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.

Box office vs. reception

Money first: the film made about $21 million worldwide against a reported $50 million budget. Johnson took the long view after the theatrical run, thanking people who showed up and keeping perspective on the metrics.

'No one can control box office results.'

Critical response landed on the positive side. On Rotten Tomatoes, it's at 70% (certified fresh) with a 74% audience score. Over on Metacritic, the metascore is 65 (generally favorable) and the user score sits at 5.4 (mixed or average). Not a blowout, but clearly something is connecting on streaming.

What the movie actually is

The Smashing Machine digs into the life of former amateur wrestling standout and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, played by Johnson. It follows his rise and messiness in the UFC world, and the strain in his relationship with his girlfriend, Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt. Benny Safdie wrote, directed, and edited the film, and produced it with Johnson, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, and David Koplan.

Bottom line: the theatrical run fizzled, the movie found its audience at home, and the timing is almost poetic. The Oscar favorite is sitting at #2 while the so-called flop is king of the app. Streaming era, folks.