The Rock is, unfortunately, facing some really bad news. The star, who did not return to WWE earlier this year for WrestleMania, will not be happy.
Over the weekend, The Rock’s latest movie, *The Smashing Machine*, was released. The film is one that the star is very proud of and has worked hard on. In fact, the screening at the Venice Film Festival received a standing ovation. However, it seems that fans haven’t responded as positively once the movie hit theaters.
The domestic box office numbers for the opening weekend have been released, and *The Smashing Machine* scored only $6 million. This marks the lowest opening weekend ever for any film The Rock has made. For comparison, the last time one of his films drew low numbers was in 2010 with *Faster*, which had an $8.5 million opening.
Adding to the disappointment, The Rock was outperformed this weekend by pop superstar Taylor Swift’s release event for her album, *The Life of a Showgirl*. Swift’s movie earned an impressive $33 million in its opening weekend. Videos have already been circulating online showing fans singing along to the pop star’s latest release in theaters.
Swift’s film 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 react to the disappointing box office news.
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The Rock also recently stepped away from WWE, notably not appearing at WrestleMania this year. Earlier in the year, he had returned to WWE to claim Cody Rhodes’ soul, sparking what many believed would be one of the most iconic heel turns in wrestling history.
In a surprising twist, John Cena turned heel on Rhodes and sided with The Rock after the WWE Champion refused The Rock’s offer. The Brahma Bull helped deliver a beatdown on Rhodes, intensifying the storyline.
Fans expected The Rock to return at WrestleMania to help The Leader of the Cenation face John Cena. However, he was nowhere to be seen, later stating that his role was done. This left many fans feeling disappointed and upset.
As The Rock navigates both his wrestling hiatus and his film career, only time will tell what’s next for the multi-talented star.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-bad-news-for-the-rock-after-taylor-swift-s-success
