A24 promotes The Smashing Machine with a 2000s-style Japanese arcade, which will pop up in New York City in October

Dwayne Johnson’s much-hyped dramatic turn in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is just around the corner. Our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, got to screen the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and he gave it a glowing review, saying, “Indeed, The Smashing Machine should prove to be a success for A24 in every way once it gets its theatrical release, as critics will respect it while Johnson’s many fans will be dying to see him in something so different from the rest of his filmography. He’s done an excellent job reinventing himself, and no one can deny The Smashing Machine was well worth the effort all involved put into it.”

A24 continues to show how much the studio thinks outside the box. Their promotion for the upcoming character drama is a pop-up 2000s-style Japanese arcade in New York City just as the film opens. The description reads,

Step into the year 2000 with The Smashing Machine Arcade in New York City. Enter the world of Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE with a retro Japanese Arcade on Canal Street. Play 15+ classic games, take photos in a full-size MMA ring, explore props straight from the film, and score exclusive limited-edition merchandise. Show your THE SMASHING MACHINE movie ticket to enter. Coming to 305 Canal Street, NY this October 2 & 3.

You can also check out the retro 2000s commercial for the event below.

The style no doubt reflects the film’s subject, Mark Kerr, as he became a fighting icon in the mixed-martial arts circuit, which would take him to bouts in Japan at the turn of the millennium. Johnson would speak about his real-life counterpart in a recent featurette of the movie. As Johnson puts it, “He was the greatest fighter on the planet. And in many ways, he was invincible. My own life experiences allowed me to live in Mark’s skin and know what it’s like – the pressure to perform, destroying your body every single night…I was just so happy that we could shine a light on the legacy that’s left.”

As huge of a dude Johnson is, director Benny Safdie – making his solo directorial debut away from brother Josh – actually asked him to bulk up even more, which really says something about the size of Kerr. And the way Safdie tells it, Johnson delivered. “I saw it in his eyes. He accessed something where he put himself in Kerr’s body. That level of dedication, he went all in.”

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