Christopher Nolan lauds ‘Smashing Machine’ despite being flop

Christopher Nolan endorsed Dwayne Johnson's film The Smashing Machine despite receiving poor reviews.

Set in the late '90s, the film is based on the undefeated MMA rookie, Mark Kerr, from his peak in late 1990s to early 2000s through his struggles with addiction and immense career pressure.

In the recent podcast episode of Director’s Cut, Nolan had a chat with the film’s director Benny Safdie, where the Oscar winner showered his praises on Johnson for his performance in the film.

"I think it’s an incredible performance," Nolan said. "I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years."

He continued, "Congratulations on the movie. It’s a really remarkable and radical piece of work that will be understood more and more over time. I’m very proud to know you."

Following its premiere at Venice Film Festival, Safdie won the best director prize there. However, since than the film is struggling to compete in the industry.

Its $5.9 million opening marked a career low for Johnson, below his 2010 thriller Faster. The Smashing Machine has so far $10 million domestically on a $50 million production budget.

Previously, Johnson in a statement about the loss said, "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."

The Smashing Machine is now running in theatres.