Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s passion project won’t be getting much recognition at the Oscars.
On Thursday morning, the 2026 Oscar nominations were officially unveiled, with films such as Sinners, Hamnet, and Sentimental Value receiving an abundance of recognition.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s The Smashing Machine, on the other hand, surprisingly only earned one nomination. Johnson was in early discussions for a Best Actor nomination ahead of the movie’s debut, but that didn’t come to fruition.
However, the biographical sports drama, starring Johnson as former MMA fighter Mark Kerr, is up for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award alongside four other movies.
The full list of nominees in the category is as follows:
- Frankenstein
- Sinners
- Kokuho
- The Smashing Machine
- The Ugly Stepsister
Alongside Johnson, The Smashing Machine features Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Stephen Quadros as himself, and Bas Rutten as himself. Earlier this month, the film was up for two awards at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards: Best Performance by a Male Actor (Drama) and Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture. Neither went home to The Smashing Machine. Wagner Moura from The Secret Agent and Teyana Taylor from One Battle After Another won them, respectively.
The Smashing Machine was originally released in theaters on October 3. Beginning on January 23, it will be available to stream on HBO Max. The film was written, directed, and produced by Benny Safdie.
The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15. The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles serves as the host site for the ceremony.
Despite The Smashing Machine only getting one nomination, another WWE-connected name did score a nomination for Best Picture.
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