As previously reported, the A24 film “The Smashing Machine” struggled during its opening weekend, earning just $6 million.
According to Deadline.com, WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson received a $4 million paycheck for the film, significantly lower than his usual asking price, which exceeds $20 million and often includes points against the net box office revenue. The report also indicated that Johnson generously shared a portion of his salary with Emily Blunt and Mark Kerr, the UFC alumnus he portrays in the film.
The report further states that the film is unlikely to incur substantial losses since A24 sold the foreign rights for approximately $35 million, and the marketing costs were relatively low at $15 million for a film with a $50 million budget.
If the film manages to earn between $14 million and $20 million domestically, it is projected to lose only $10 million to $15 million. While this is not ideal, it is considerably better than what would typically be expected for a film of this budget with such a low gross. A24, being a smaller independent studio, has various strategies to mitigate costs, including a pay-one streaming deal with HBO Max.
