Dwayne Johnson has responded to his new movie, The Smashing Machine, flopping at the box office in its opening weekend. The wrestler-turned-actor was showered with praise for his first major dramatic performance at the biographical drama's premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, but the critical acclaim didn't translate into ticket sales when it opened in cinemas on 3 October. The movie, in which he plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr, took only $5.9 million (£4.4 million) at the U.S. box office, becoming the career-worst debut in Johnson's film career. The Red Notice star addressed the disappointing box office news as he thanked everyone who had seen The Smashing Machine on Monday. "In our storytelling world, you can't control box office results - but what I realized you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere. And I will always run to that opportunity," he wrote on Instagram. "It was my honor to transform in this role for my director Benny Safdie... Thank you brother for believing in me," he continued. "Truth is this film has changed my life. With deep gratitude, respect and radical empathy, DJ." The Smashing Machine was directed by Benny Sadfie, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director in Venice for the movie. The biopic, which came fourth at the U.K. box office, marked a rare drama for Johnson, who is best known for studio action comedies including Fast & Furious, Moana and the new Jumanji films.