Coming Soon: ‘The Smashing Machine’ and ‘Your Letter’
Domestic: American screenwriter and director Benny Safdie, known for A24’s Good Time and Uncut Gems, both of which have 90% or higher scores on Rotten Tomatoes, takes a departure from his usual thrilling crime dramas to deliver an action-packed sports biopic in the form of The Smashing Machine. The film follows the life of Mark Kerr, a former amateur wrestler, MMA fighter, and UFC champion.
Like Safdie’s previous works, the film is produced and is being distributed by A24. It stars Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as Kerr’s then-wife, Dawn Staples. The film also features other MMA fighters, such as Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk, in supporting roles.
The trailer was first released on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Set to a remix of Frank Sinatra’s My Way, hinting at the main character’s personal conviction which may prove to be the source of the film’s emotional conflicts, the trailer depicts the violence, struggle, and humanity of Mark Kerr as he tackles the ever-present balancing act of career and personal life. The nature of MMA as a sport and the mentality of those who compete in it are clearly avenues the film will explore, with Kerr being asked in the trailer, “What do you think at the beginning of the fight?”
In addition to drama, the trailer shows glimpses of MMA fights, promising some adrenaline-pumping action sequences that are both brutal and spectacular. Given that the supporting cast contains many former MMA fighters, there is a clear commitment by Safdie to deliver authentic fights that are true to the real sport.
The trailer promises a nuanced and committed performance from Johnson, unlike many of his previous action movie ventures. Both he and Blunt appear to be fully committed to their roles, with the trailer showing a brief glimpse of a heated argument between the two. This film will clearly act as a showcase of Johnson’s acting ability.
The film had its world premiere on Monday, September 1, 2025, at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion and where Safdie won the Silver Lion for his directing, receiving a 15-minute standing ovation. As of today, the film currently holds a 75% critic score from 71 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus reading that “Dwayne Johnson goes the distance with his transformative turn as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count.”
Given this positive critical reception, the film is poised to be a strong contender for awards season, particularly in regard to Johnson’s performance, which could earn him an academy award nomination. The film gets its full theatrical release on Friday, October 3, 2025. Despite facing competition from IFC’s horror film Good Boy and Bleecker Street’s Bone Lake, the film is currently projected to earn $20 million in its opening weekend, making it the strongest opening of an A24 film since Alex Garland’s Civil War. No doubt this high projection is due to the many fans of Johnson, and the film could see massive success if it grabs both the general audience and fans of sports films too.
International: Your Letter is a South Korean animated feature film directed by Kim Yong-hwan, produced by Studio LICO and Studio N, and will be distributed by Lotte Entertainment. It is based on the manhwa of the same name, which was written and illustrated by Hyeon A Cho and is primarily targeted towards young adults. It was originally released as a Webtoon, which ran from Saturday, August 11, 2018, to Saturday, October 27, 2018, and has been published in English by Line Webtoon.
The film follows a young girl in middle school called So-ri Lee, voiced by Lee Su-hyun in her first film voiceover role and who additionally performs for the film’s soundtrack. So-ri is a kind and principled girl who faces relentless bullying due to her insistence on defending others who are unable to defend themselves. She transfers to another school to escape, but finds the pattern repeats itself. As the 30-second snippet shows, So-ri discovers a mysterious letter under her desk, which leads her on a scavenger hunt to find the rest. This journey helps So-ri adjust to her new surroundings as she discovers a new world within the middle school and grows as a person. The questions then remain as to who is sending her on this journey, who is writing these letters, and why have they been written for her?
The film also features Kim Min-ju, Min Seung-woo, and Nam Doh-hyeong in supporting roles.
The short trailer promises a simple story told through stunning animation. Through this art form, the film promises to deliver a faithful adaptation that provides colourful and poignant imagery whilst maintaining a strong emotional core throughout.
The film had its premiere on Friday, September 27, 2024, at the Ottowa International Animation Festival and was subsequently screened at the 26th Bucheon International Animation Festival. There, the film earned three awards: Jury Prize for Feature Film, Cocomics Music Prize, and Korea Animation Industry Association President's Prize for Technical Achievement. It also saw yet another screening at the 18th Animator International Animated Film Festival in June 2025.
The film will see its premiere on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, in South Korea. There is no indication of any Western release as of today, but the film’s success at festivals indicates potential for strong acclaim in South Korea. As such, the potential for a strong box office return and subsequent wider release could come to fruition for fans unable to view it at the moment.