The Rock is, unfortunately, facing some disappointing news. The star, who did not return to WWE earlier this year for WrestleMania, is sure to be unhappy with recent developments.
Over the weekend, The Rock’s latest movie, *The Smashing Machine*, was released. This film is one that the star is very proud of and has worked hard on. The screening at the Venice Film Festival even received a standing ovation, highlighting the film’s artistic success.
However, despite the critical acclaim, fan response in theaters has been less enthusiastic. The domestic box office numbers for the opening weekend have been released, and the film earned only $6 million. This marks the lowest box office opening ever for any movie featuring The Rock. For comparison, his 2010 film *Faster* opened to $8.5 million but still drew relatively low numbers.
Adding to the challenge, The Rock was significantly overshadowed this weekend by Taylor Swift’s *Showgirl* release event for her album *The Life of a Showgirl*. Swift’s release earned an impressive $33 million during its opening weekend. Videos are already circulating online of fans singing along to the pop star’s latest work in theaters. The Swift movie includes behind-the-scenes footage, lyric videos, and the premiere of her new music video, *The Fate of Ophelia*.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how The Rock will respond to this news.
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In wrestling news, The Rock stepped away from WWE, not appearing at WrestleMania this year. After making a surprise return to WWE earlier in the year before WrestleMania to claim Cody Rhodes’ soul, many believed The Rock was setting up one of the most iconic heel turns in recent history.
John Cena turned heel on Rhodes and aligned himself with The Rock after Cody Rhodes, the WWE Champion, refused their offer. The Brahma Bull teamed up with Cena to beat down Rhodes, creating massive anticipation for a potential showdown.
Fans expected The Rock to return at WrestleMania to support Cena, the leader of the “Cenation,” but he was nowhere to be seen. Later, The Rock stated that his role was complete, leaving many fans disappointed by his absence.
As the dust settles on both The Rock’s wrestling and film ventures, fans will be watching closely to see what the future holds for this legendary star.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-bad-news-for-the-rock-after-taylor-swift-s-success
