{"id":42651,"date":"2025-09-04T08:23:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42651\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T08:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:23:26","slug":"the-smashing-machine-instant-oscar-predictions-dwayne-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42651\/","title":{"rendered":"The Smashing Machine instant Oscar predictions: Dwayne Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

He was a superhero in Black Adam, an archaeologist in Jumanji, and a demigod in Moana. Is Dwayne Johnson<\/a><\/strong> about to add “Oscar nominee” to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9?<\/p>\n

On Oct. 3, the actor and former professional wrestler known as the Rock brings the story of mixed martial artist and UFC fighter Mark Kerr<\/strong> to the big screen in A24’s The Smashing Machine<\/a>. Johnson stars alongside Oscar-nominated actress Emily Blunt<\/strong> (Oppenheimer) in the film that’s written and directed by indie darling Benny Safdie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Kerr rose to prominence during the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship while privately struggling with a serious drug addiction. To portray Kerr, Johnson underwent a dramatic physical transformation, aided by two-time Academy Award-winning makeup artist Kazu Hiro<\/strong> (Darkest Hour, Bombshell). The performance is already generating awards buzz, particularly after the film’s debut at the Venice Film Festival<\/a>. Let’s take a look at The Smashing Machine’s instant Oscar predictions.<\/p>\n

\"Springsteen:<\/a> \"Guillermo<\/a> <\/p>\n

PICTURE<\/p>\n

The Smashing Machine currently ranks within the top 20 of Gold Derby’s Oscar odds for Best Picture, with a 5 percent chance of being nominated. Movies about wrestlers have received Oscar nominations in the past, but never in the top category. The Wrestler (2008) earned acting bids for Mickey Rourke<\/strong> and Marisa Tomei<\/strong>, while Foxcatcher (2014) received five total nominations, including for Steve Carell<\/strong> and Mark Ruffalo<\/strong>. In recent years, The Iron Claw (2023) starring Zac Efron<\/strong> and Unstoppable (2024) starring Jharrel Jerome<\/strong> were both KO’ed at the Oscars<\/a>, earning zero nominations. The Smashing Machine is now hoping to make history for wrestling films.<\/p>\n

Best Picture<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

\"Sinners <\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

\"Wicked <\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

\"Marty <\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

\"Hamnet\" <\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

\"Bugonia\" <\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

\"Sentimental <\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

\"Jay <\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

\"Rental <\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

\"Springsteen:<\/p>\n

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

\"One <\/p>\n

11.<\/p>\n

\"Frankenstein\" <\/p>\n

12.<\/p>\n

\"It <\/p>\n

13.<\/p>\n

\"After <\/p>\n

14.<\/p>\n

\"Avatar: <\/p>\n

15.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

16.<\/p>\n

\"No <\/p>\n

17.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

18.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

19.<\/p>\n

\"Roofman\" <\/p>\n

20.<\/p>\n

\"Ballad <\/p>\n

DIRECTING AND SCREENPLAY<\/p>\n

Benny Safdie was recently an awards contender for directing (with his brother, Josh Safdie<\/strong>) and editing Uncut Gems, getting in at the Critics Choice Awards but missing the Oscars. Now he’s in the conversation again for his solo directorial debut on The Smashing Machine, which he also wrote. Safdie sits at 20th for Best Director, per the Gold Derby data.<\/p>\n

Best Director<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

\"Ryan <\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

\"Chloe <\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

\"Joachim<\/p>\n

Joachim Trier <\/p>\n

Sentimental Value<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

\"Yorgos <\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/p>\n

Paul Thomas Anderson <\/p>\n

One Battle After Another<\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

\"Jafar<\/p>\n

Jafar Panahi <\/p>\n

It Was Just an Accident<\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

Josh Safdie <\/p>\n

Marty Supreme<\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

\"Hikari\" <\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

\"Guillermo<\/p>\n

Guillermo Del Toro <\/p>\n

Frankenstein<\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

\"Kathryn<\/p>\n

Kathryn Bigelow <\/p>\n

A House of Dynamite<\/p>\n

11.<\/p>\n

\"Park<\/p>\n

Park Chan-wook <\/p>\n

No Other Choice<\/p>\n

12.<\/p>\n

\"Noah <\/p>\n

13.<\/p>\n

\"Derek <\/p>\n

14.<\/p>\n

\"Jon<\/p>\n

Jon M. Chu <\/p>\n

Wicked: For Good<\/p>\n

15.<\/p>\n

\"Kleber<\/p>\n

Kleber Mendonca Filho <\/p>\n

The Secret Agent<\/p>\n

16.<\/p>\n

\"Nia <\/p>\n

17.<\/p>\n

\"Kelly<\/p>\n

Kelly Reichardt <\/p>\n

The Mastermind<\/p>\n

18.<\/p>\n

\"Luca<\/p>\n

Luca Guadagnino <\/p>\n

After the Hunt<\/p>\n

19.<\/p>\n

\"Edward<\/p>\n

Edward Berger <\/p>\n

Ballad of a Small Player<\/p>\n

20.<\/p>\n

\"Benny<\/p>\n

Benny Safdie <\/p>\n

The Smashing Machine<\/p>\n

For Best Original Screenplay, his chances are slightly better, coming in at No. 16 for penning the biographical sports drama. Critics agree<\/a> that Safdie avoided the typical sports movie conventions and tropes when crafting The Smashing Machine.<\/p>\n

Best Original Screenplay<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

\"Sinners <\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

\"Marty <\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

\"Sentimental <\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

\"Jay <\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

\"Rental <\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

\"It <\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

\"After <\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

\"Weapons <\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

\"Roofman\" <\/p>\n

11.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

12.<\/p>\n

\"If<\/p>\n

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You<\/p>\n

13.<\/p>\n

\"Sorry, <\/p>\n

14.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

15.<\/p>\n

\"Jim<\/p>\n

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother<\/p>\n

16.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

17.<\/p>\n

\"Materialists <\/p>\n

18.<\/p>\n

\"Ella <\/p>\n

19.<\/p>\n

\"Anemone\" <\/p>\n

20.<\/p>\n

\"Blue <\/p>\n

ACTING<\/p>\n

Johnson has skyrocketed up the Gold Derby Best Actor chart in recent weeks, now coming in fifth place for a nomination. Taking on a physically demanding role in a sports movie has helped other leading men get into the category, including the aforementioned Rourke, Will Smith<\/strong> (Ali), Sylvester Stallone<\/strong> (Rocky), Denzel Washington<\/strong> (The Hurricane), plus Robert De Niro<\/strong> (Raging Bull), who won. Johnson’s character of the mixed martial artist, nicknamed the Smashing Machine, feels right at home on that list of former Best Actor Oscar nominees.<\/p>\n

Best Actor<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

\"Timothee<\/p>\n

Timothee Chalamet <\/p>\n

Marty Supreme<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

\"Jeremy<\/p>\n

Jeremy Allen White <\/p>\n

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

\"Brendan<\/p>\n

Brendan Fraser <\/p>\n

Rental Family<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael B. Jordan <\/p>\n

Sinners<\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

\"Dwayne<\/p>\n

Dwayne Johnson <\/p>\n

The Smashing Machine<\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

\"George <\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

\"jesse <\/p>\n

A24 has not yet confirmed whether Blunt will campaign in lead or supporting for playing Dawn Staples, the ex-wife of Mark Kerr. A final decision for her category placement will be made later. The British actress currently ranks in 10th place for Best Actress, and 50th place for Best Supporting Actress, but it’s still early this Oscar season and the odds are likely to change once a film is more widely seen.<\/p>\n

Nominations for the 2026 Oscars<\/a> will be announced Jan. 22.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He was a superhero in Black Adam, an archaeologist in Jumanji, and a demigod in Moana. Is Dwayne…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[32186,434,8168,18,117,16099,19,17,7012,28757],"class_list":{"0":"post-42651","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-2026-oscars","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-dwayne-johnson","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-fyc","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-oscars","17":"tag-the-smashing-machine"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}