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Dwayne Johnson and his collaborators on The Smashing Machine had an emotional response after the movie’s premiere.
At the Venice International Film Festival premiere on Monday, Sept. 1, the A24 biopic starring Johnson, 53, as mixed martial arts legend Mark Kerr (in theaters Oct. 3) earned a 15-minute standing ovation.
Footage captured inside the theater at the event showed the wrestler-turned-actor weeping and applauding between costar Emily Blunt and Kerr himself.
The film’s writer-director, Benny Safdie, could also be seen covering his face and wiping away tears. “This was the most emotion we’ve since on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here” for The Whale, noted Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, notably drawing a comparison to Fraser’s eventual win at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage
Also in attendance at the event was Seth Rogen, who during the standing ovation snapped photos and said, “That was awesome,” per The Hollywood Reporter. Filmmaker Charlie Kaufman and engaged couple Halsey and Avan Jogia appeared on the premiere’s red carpet as well.
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The Smashing Machine is “the story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr,” per an official synopsis. As Kerr’s now-ex-wife Dawn, Blunt, 42, reunites with Johnson after they starred together in 2021’s Jungle Cruise.
A24
Safdie, 39, who appeared on-camera with Blunt in 2023 hit Oppenheimer, is the filmmaker behind Good Time, Uncut Gems and more. The Smashing Machine marks his first film as a solo director after years of collaborating behind the camera with his brother Josh (whose next movie is the Timothée Chalamet-starring Marty Supreme, in theaters Dec. 25).
Following its starry premiere, The Smashing Machine is in theaters Oct. 3.
