The Smashing Machine Streaming Date: When You Can Watch at Home
Dwayne Johnson’s boldest gamble finally lands as The Smashing Machine storms into theaters after a tearful, standing-ovation Venice premiere, with A24 pushing it to PVOD next and a streaming drop slated for March–April 2026 under director Denny Safdie.
Dwayne Johnson took the biggest swing of his career with The Smashing Machine, and it looks like it connected. After a buzzy Venice premiere where Johnson got emotional and the room stood up for him, the movie is finally in theaters. The question is whether you need to make a trip now or if you can safely wait it out at home.
The movie (and the inside-baseball bit)
This is a biographical sports drama about MMA legend Mark Kerr, charting the highs of his career alongside his battles with substance abuse. It is directed by Benny Safdie — yes, that Safdie, flying solo this time — and early chatter has been loud: a lot of folks are calling it the best performance of Johnson's career, with real-deal Oscar talk already swirling.
The rollout: not a quick jump to streaming
Like most A24 releases, this one is taking the slow road. It is in theaters now and will stay there for about a month before moving to PVOD — that is Premium VOD, meaning you can rent or buy it digitally — on the usual suspects: Apple, Amazon, YouTube. That puts the rental window around November 2025.
Streaming is a different story. A24 generally waits four to five months after PVOD before dropping titles on a subscription platform. Earlier this year, an A24 release called Warfare followed that pattern: mid-April theatrical to a September streaming debut. Using that math here, The Smashing Machine is expected to hit Max (aka HBO Max) in spring 2026, likely March or April.
Translation: if you want in before awards season, theaters or early PVOD are your options. The next Oscars land in mid-March 2026. If Johnson ends up a major contender, a lot of people will be racing to catch up before the big night.
Where to watch, what to know
- Title: The Smashing Machine
- Genre: Biographical sports drama
- Director: Benny Safdie
- Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten
- Now playing: U.S. theaters
- PVOD: targeting November 2025 on Apple, Amazon, and YouTube (after about a month in theaters)
- Streaming: expected March–April 2026 on Max (formerly HBO Max)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 73% critics, 78% audience (as of Oct 4, 2025)
- Awards angle: if Johnson is nominated, expect a streaming spike — and expect everyone to be talking about it as the Oscars approach
Bottom line
If you are even mildly awards-curious or you want to see what might genuinely be Johnson's best performance, go now. If you are patient, you can rent it in November 2025 and stream it on Max in spring 2026. Just do not sleep on it entirely — this one is going to be part of the conversation.