The Smashing Machine Just Hit Digital—Here’s How to Watch Dwayne Johnson’s Biopic Free Today

Dwayne Johnson finally made his big swing at a down-and-dirty character study, it stumbled at the box office, and now it is already knocking on your TV. If you missed The Smashing Machine in theaters, the digital version is here, and honestly, that might be where this thing finds its audience.

How to watch The Smashing Machine right now

The film hit PVOD on November 4. You can buy it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. It is $24.99 on Amazon as of today, and there is no rental option yet. That price tag is A24 trying to give the movie a second wind after the theatrical faceplant. If you want to see Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr without leaving the couch, this is the straightforward path. It is also one of the most dramatically dialed-in performances he has given, so the curiosity factor is real.

So when does it hit Max?

A24 has not planted a flag on a streaming date yet, but there is a pretty clear pattern. The studio has a Pay-1 deal with Warner Bros, which means A24 titles show up on Max after their theatrical runs wrap. You might hear wishful thinking about a December drop, but look at the recent cadence: newer A24 films have been shifting to Max roughly four months after theaters. One example: Eddington is heading to Max on November 14 about four months after its release. Apply that math to The Smashing Machine, which opened October 3, 2025, and you land in early February 2026 as the most likely window.

When it does arrive on Max, you will be able to watch with a subscription, which is easier on the wallet than that $24.99 purchase if you can wait a bit.

Why it struggled in theaters

Here is the irony: Johnson finally links up with Benny Safdie, commits hard to playing Mark Kerr, reshapes himself physically and emotionally, and Emily Blunt meets him right there. The movie leans moody and vulnerable instead of big and quippy. And then audiences barely turned up.

Numbers first: The Smashing Machine has made $11.35 million in the U.S., and worldwide it has inched past $19 million, per The Numbers. For a typical A24 drama, that would not cause alarms. But this was not the typical A24 spend. With a reported $50 million budget and two name stars, expectations were higher. It also carried a mixed festival reputation: plenty of praise for Johnson, but the rest of the film did not hit the same highs.

The bigger issue was expectations vs. reality. UFC and WWE fans walked in expecting a bone-cruncher and got a loose, introspective character piece. Meanwhile, the A24 crowd did not immediately vibe with marketing that emphasized the sports angle over the film’s mood and character focus. Quiet, non-franchise films need strong word-of-mouth to survive, and this one never caught fire. The result: a movie that was fighting to be seen, and most people did not know where to look.

None of that cancels what Johnson does here. The performance is a genuine left turn for him. The timing, the tone, and the way it was sold just did not line up. People expected a suplex and got sadness instead.

The bottom line

With the digital release in play and streaming not far off, The Smashing Machine has a real shot at a second life. Some movies are simply better suited to a living room than a multiplex.

The essentials

• Title: The Smashing Machine
• Director: Benny Safdie
• Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk
• Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
• Theatrical release: October 3, 2025
• Digital: Available to buy now on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home (currently $24.99 on Amazon; rentals not yet available)
• Box office: $11.35 million domestic; just over $19 million worldwide (via The Numbers)
• Budget: $50 million
• Streaming outlook: A24 titles go to Max after the theatrical run; based on recent patterns, early February 2026 looks likely
• Ratings snapshot: IMDb 6.7; Rotten Tomatoes 70%