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The biographical sports drama featuring Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine, is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 3, 2025. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film tells the powerful and raw story of pioneering MMA fighter Mark Kerr at the height of his career around the year 2000.
The plot focuses on the two-time UFC heavyweight champion's struggles outside the ring, navigating fame, painkiller addiction, and his troubled relationship with his partner. The film's supporting cast features Emily Blunt as his devoted but tormented partner, Dawn Staples, alongside real-life fighters Ryan Bader and Bas Rutten.
Distributed by A24, The Smashing Machine was filmed in various international locations, including New Mexico, Vancouver, and Tokyo. The production utilized these sites to capture Mark Kerr's global career authentically, with key fight scenes being staged explicitly in Vancouver.
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Complete guide to all filming locations used for the production of Dwayne Johnson's The Smashing Machine
1) Vancouver, Canada: Recreating the Fight Mecca
Vancouver served as the primary base for recreating the atmosphere of Kerr's biggest professional events. The majority of The Smashing Machine production work, including the main fight scenes, took place here from May to July 2024. The Pacific Coliseum and Rogers Arena's entrance were transformed to the famous Tokyo Dome, the main stage for the Japanese Pride Fighting Championships.
2) New Mexico, United States: The personal and domestic struggle
Filming also took place in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico, during July 2024. This site was chosen to represent the domestic and training environments in the United States; it served as a substitute for the various places where Mark Kerr lived and trained during the time period, including his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Several local actors were also also employed during the filming.
3) Tokyo, Japan
Although the majority of the fight scenes were simulated in Vancouver, The Smashing Machine production was also held in Tokyo, Japan. One of the main plot points is Kerr's constant need to travel to Tokyo to compete in the Pride Fighting Championships, which reflects the time period when most U.S. states had not yet legalized MMA.
Japan provided a massive, lucrative platform for the "no-holds-barred" spectacle during the time period. Filming here allowed filmmaker Benny Safdie to portray the Japanese part of the story as a genuine foundation by focusing on the travel and business negotiations, the very routine issues that surround Kerr's stature as a global celebrity.
Dwaynes Johnson's tranformation and other production details on The Smashing Machine
The production of Benny Safdie's biographical drama film utilized various film stocks such as 16mm, with select scenes using IMAX 70mm and even VHS cameras to evoke the period's documentary style. Emily Blunt praised Safdie's set environment, noting it created such spontaneity that it blurred the lines between fiction and reality. In an interview with the AP News, The Oppenheimer actress stated:
“The environment that Benny creates is one of such spontaneity that you really blur the lines between fiction and reality. It makes the scenes terribly exciting, but I think it makes them quite hard to come down from, because you’re really in a spell.”
Additionally, Johnson completed a 12-week training camp, gaining approximately 30 to 32 pounds of muscle while maintaining the agility of an MMA fighter, with a focus on replicating Kerr's unique muscle development from amateur wrestling. The Smashing Machine director Safdie insisted that Johnson needed to look "bigger" and "puffier" to accurately portray Mark Kerr's 270-to 275-pound physique during his prime.
Johnson also underwent a 3-4 hours of daily makeup routine, wearing an extensive application of 13 to 14 facial prosthetics, including pieces to alter his hairline and nose, as well as to create Kerr's signature cauliflower ear. This process allowed him to physically and psychologically become Mark Kerr. So far one of the most challenging projects for Johnson, The Smashing Machine is set to hit the theaters on October 3, 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates.
