THE SMASHING MACHINE (2025) — RELEASE DATE, CAST, TRAILER & SOUNDTRACK

The Smashing Machine is Benny Safdie's A24 biographical sports drama starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr. The film traces the former UFC fighter's career — first chronicled in the 2002 HBO documentary "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr" — and marks Safdie's solo feature directorial debut, with the writer-director also co-producing and editing. For more on the leading man, see our Dwayne Johnson biography.

Release Date & Cast

Film: The Smashing Machine (2025)

Director: Benny Safdie — written, directed, co-produced and edited by Safdie; his solo feature directorial debut.

Release Date: 3 October 2025 (US theatrical)

Runtime: 123 minutes

Premiere: World premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2025, met with a 15-minute standing ovation; Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Director.

Cast: Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten as himself, Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn.

Based on: the 2002 HBO documentary "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr"

Soundtrack & Music

The original score comes from Belgian composer Nala Sinephro, announced in April 2025 as her debut film score. Sinephro composed, arranged, produced and mixed the music, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Composer: Nala Sinephro — debut film score

Labels: A24 Music, Warp Records

Soundtrack released: 3 October 2025

Length: 25:16

Recorded at: Abbey Road Studios, London

Track listing:

1. Dawn
2. Grand Prix
3. The Smashing Machine
4. The High
5. Mark
6. KO
7. Mark II
8. Dawn II

Watch the Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer above, released by A24 ahead of the film's October 2025 theatrical debut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Mark Kerr?
A: Mark Kerr is a retired American MMA fighter and former UFC competitor whose career was chronicled in the 2002 HBO documentary that inspired this film.

Q: Who composed the score?
A: Belgian composer Nala Sinephro composed, arranged, produced and mixed the score — her debut film score — recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

Q: When was it released?
A: The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2025 and opened in US theaters on 3 October 2025, the same day the soundtrack arrived via A24 Music and Warp Records.

Q: Who stars in it?
A: Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr, alongside Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten as himself and Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn.

Looking for more movie coverage? Check out our Bugonia (2025) movie guide, the Wicked: For Good (2025) movie breakdown, and the Digger (2026) movie release details.