‘Smashing Machine’ is now streaming: How to watch it at home

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is ready for a change of pace. Known for his larger-than-life personality and smoky comedy, Milling Machine sees him take on a tough, dramatic role as MMA fighter Mark Kerr.

It had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, then screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where Mashable’s film editor, Kristy Puchko, reviewed the film. It earned excellent reviews, with much praise for Johnson’s performance. The film also stars Emily Blunt as Kerr’s partner Dawn, Ryan Bader as UFC champion Mark Coleman, and Oleksandr Usyk as MMA fighter Igor Vovchanchyn.

If you missed it in theaters, you can watch it now Milling Machine at home. Here’s what you need to know to tune in — including where and when it’s airing.

What Milling Machine about?

Written and directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut gems), Milling Machine tells the true story of MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson) during the early days of the UFC in the ’90s. Organized for several years, it brings audiences to Japan for the Pride FC tournament and returns to the US for training. It delves into his personal struggles and tumultuous romantic relationship with Dawn Staples (Blunt) as he fights for the lead in the ring.

Get a glimpse of Johnson’s transformation in the official trailer:

Is it Milling Machine is it worth watching?

Milling Machine it may not have been a knockout at the box office, but Johnson’s transformation into Mark Kerr and his performance alone make it worth watching. The film took home the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and has a 70 percent critic rating and a 75 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mashable’s reviewer writes, “Ultimately, Johnson delivers a defining performance that must prove he can handle low-cost, even high-cost. Blunt gives it his all in a thankless role, and Safdie, in his feature-length directorial debut without his brother/Uncut gems reliever Josh Safdie, takes big swings. It’s a shame he didn’t have a keen eye for what was hitting him, and what left his audience wanting more.”

Check out Mashable’s full review of The Smashing Machine.

A way of looking Milling Machine at home

A24 has officially announced the broadcast date Milling Machine. You can listen at home by purchasing or renting on-demand digital video from Nov. 4, 2025 or by streaming from Jan. 23, 2026. We have broken down the details below.

Buy or rent digitally

As of Nov. 4, Milling Machine available for purchase or rental on the most popular video-on-demand social media platforms. You can purchase a movie for your digital library or rent it for 30 days. If you choose to rent, just be aware that although you will have 30 days to watch, you will only have 48 hours to finish watching once you start.

You can buy and rent the film from the following retailers:

Stream on HBO Max

A24 has a multi-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, so new A24 theatrical releases are broadcast exclusively on HBO Max before anywhere else.

Based on the theater-to-broadcast trajectory of other recent A24 movies – such as Sorry, Baby, Materialistsagain Bring him back – we measured that The Smashing MachineIe will hit HBO Max sometime in February or March 2026. We’re happy to report that A24 is blessing us early (probably because of awards season). You can broadcast Milling Machine on HBO Max starting Jan. 23, 2026.

HBO Max subscriptions start at $10.99 per month (thanks to a recent price increase), but there are some ways to save some money on your plan. Check out the best HBO Max streaming deals below.

The best streaming deals for HBO Max

Best for most people: Save 16% on an annual subscription to HBO Max Basic

The HBO Max Basic plan with ads normally costs $10.99 per month, but if you pay for a year in advance, that price drops to just $9.17. For an annual plan, you’ll pay $109.99, which saves you about 16% compared to paying monthly.

Best Max ad-free deal: Save up to 16% on HBO Max Standard annual subscription

If you prefer not to advertise, HBO Max Standard or Premium annual plans will save you about 16% on monthly plans. The Standard tier costs $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year (about $15.42 per month), while the Premium tier costs $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year (about $19.17 per month). Both tiers offer ad-free viewing, but the Premium tier also features 4K Ultra HD video quality, immersive Dolby Atmos audio, and the ability to download additional offline content.

Get HBO Max for free: Switch to the unlimited Cricket plan

The only current way to get HBO Max for free is to switch your phone plan to Cricket’s $60 per month Supreme Unlimited plan. Includes HBO Max Basic with free ads — $10.99 per month. When you open the HBO Max app or website, you’ll simply select Cricket as your provider and use your credentials to sign in.

Best HBO Max deal for readers: Save 50% on HBO Max Basic with ads

College students can watch Milling Machine when it starts streaming with a year-long subscription to HBO Max with half-price ads. Just verify your student status with UNiDAYS and receive a unique discount code to drop the price from $10.99 to $5.49 per month.

Best bundle deal: Get HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 41% off.

For the most bang for your buck, check out the Disney+ bundle deal that includes Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max for just $19.99 a month with ads. That list of broadcasters would normally cost you $34.97 per month if paid separately, so you’ll keep an extra $15 in your pocket every month. If you choose the ad-free experience, the bundle will run $32.99 per month versus $56.47. That’s up to a 41% savings for access to all three streaming libraries.

Update: December 23, 2025, 11:16 am This article has been updated to include official release details for “The Smashing Machine” streaming on HBO Max.