The Smashing Machine15

Directed by Benny Safdie | USA | 2025 | 2h 3m | Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Jill Basey

In the early 2000s, mixed martial artist Mark Kerr rises to prominence as the sport’s popularity begins to explode. But behind the fame and fierce competition, the relentless travel and physical toll push Kerr to his limits. Starring Dwayne Johnson in a powerful, transformative role alongside Oscar nominee Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine marks the solo directorial debut of Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Time) and won the Silver Lion Award for Best Director at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

‘As a newly solo director, Safdie summons a thoughtful and moving mood for this unconventional sports film; as a newly serious dramatic actor, Johnson is about to win some awards.’
★★★★
John Nugent, Empire Magazine

‘Beyond the regular crunch of fist on bone, The Smashing Machine is an unexpectedly gentle, soulful character study that has Johnson undercutting his crowd-pleasing ‘The Rock’ persona with vulnerability and boyish uncertainty.’
★★★★
Philip De Semlyen, Time Out

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Smashing Machine between October 24, 2025 and November 6, 2025.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 10th March)
Find out more

17:45

“Wuthering Heights” 15
£6 for Members / subtitles
2h 16m
In 18th-century Yorkshire, brooding outsider Heathcliff falls for Catherine, the daughter of his master, igniting a destructive love story of obsession. Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie star in Emerald Fennell’s (Saltburn) sensual adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

Soul to Soul U
£6 for Members
1h 36m
Documentary about a historic 1971 concert at Black Star Square in Accra, celebrating Ghana’s independence. Over 100,000 people gathered as Ike & Tina Turner, Santana, and other African American musicians created groundbreaking music and experienced Africa for the first time.

Book here


Tomorrow (Wednesday 11th March)
Find out more

15:30

Soul to Soul U
1h 36m
Documentary about a historic 1971 concert at Black Star Square in Accra, celebrating Ghana’s independence. Over 100,000 people gathered as Ike & Tina Turner, Santana, and other African American musicians created groundbreaking music and experienced Africa for the first time.

Book here

Find out more

18:00

Burning Man: Art on Fire 12A
+ Director Q&A
1h 30m
Special Events
Documentary about the artists behind Burning Man’s iconic installations, capturing the creativity and community of the festival, and following their race to create massive works in Nevada’s brutal desert. Screening followed by a Q&A with director Gerry Fox.

Book here

Find out more

20:45

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 53m
A house filling with water. A child who won’t get better. And a husband who’s never there. Rose Byrne delivers an Oscar-nominated performance as a mother whose world is unravelling in Mary Bronstein’s darkly comic portrait of modern womanhood.

Book here


See all upcoming films

Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

Find out more