The Rock's new movie sinks at the box office despite critical praise

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is not having the expected success with his new film project. According to Variety, his movie "The Smashing Machine" has experienced a steep 70% drop in its second week at the box office, grossing just $1.7 million in over 3,300 theaters in the United States.

The decline places the film in the eighth position for the weekend, with a total domestic gross of only $10.1 million. This is a concerning figure considering its production budget was around $50 million, not including marketing expenses, putting it on track to become a financial failure for the studio A24.

The movie is part of an overall weak weekend for the U.S. box office, where even other premieres failed to meet expectations. The top spot went to Disney's "Tron: Ares", which debuted with $33.5 million.

"The Smashing Machine" is a very personal project for Johnson, who portrays former UFC and MMA champion Mark Kerr in this biopic based on the documentary of the same name. The film also features performances by Emily Blunt and former MMA champion Ryan Bader.

According to Deadline, Johnson accepted a drastic pay cut to star in the film, earning $4 million, well below his usual fee of over $20 million. The actor even allocated part of his salary to his co-star and to Mark Kerr himself, demonstrating his commitment to the project.

While critics have praised Johnson's performance and his choice of a more dramatic role, the audience does not seem to have responded in the same way. For now, The Rock's "Smashing Machine" is far from smashing the box office numbers.