Dwayne Johnson’s Best Actor Campaign Just Took Another Hit

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With a year of films already released and major festivals having showcased potential contenders, awards season is now officially underway. The Gotham Awards announced their nominations on October 28th, marking the first step in the journey toward the 2026 Academy Awards.

Unlike bigger awards shows that often predict the Oscars because they share many of the same voters, the Gothams focus specifically on independent films. Nominations come from yearly-changing panels of critics and film experts, while winners are chosen by separate groups of filmmakers and industry insiders. Therefore, not being recognized by the Gothams doesn’t automatically mean a film’s Oscar campaign is losing momentum.

The Gotham Awards often influence the Oscar discussion, bringing attention to films and performances that might be overlooked. While some of this year’s nominees already had strong visibility (like One Battle After Another), If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You is clearly benefiting the most from the early buzz and increased recognition.

And that’s not such great news for The Rock.

The Gotham Nominations Might Shake Up A24’s Oscar Priorities

The film If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You has been gaining recognition for quite a while. It first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received positive reviews, particularly for Rose Byrne’s performance. The film continued to gain momentum at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where Byrne won the Silver Bear award for Best Actress, establishing her as a possible Academy Award nominee.

It’s tough for a film to stay relevant after a strong debut, but If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You has done just that, and the four Gotham Award nominations prove it’s not just about star Mary Byrne. The film won Best Feature, Director, and Original Screenplay, plus an award for Outstanding Lead Performance. This success could give the film a bigger profile than anticipated, solidifying Byrne’s position as a contender for Best Actress and potentially opening doors for nominations in other categories.

A24 is likely paying attention. Though Paul Giamatti was already gaining momentum, if critics groups echo the positive response from the Gotham Awards, the studio might increase its marketing efforts for the film. And if that happens, they’ll likely need to shift funds from other projects.

That leads me to Dwayne Johnson, who is now a strong contender for Best Actor thanks to his role in The Smashing Machine. While the film started strong at the Venice Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation, it unfortunately didn’t do well in theaters, opening with much lower ticket sales than expected. To make matters more complicated, another A24 film, Marty Supreme, unexpectedly gained attention as a surprise screening at the New York Film Festival and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, overshadowing The Smashing Machine.

So, I was reading IndieWire, and apparently Marty Supreme didn’t make the cut for the Gotham Awards, which honestly isn’t a huge shock considering it’s a December release. And let’s be real, when a star like Johnson is involved, a nomination isn’t exactly make-or-break. But what really got me was The Smashing Machine getting completely shut out. It was a chance to rewrite the story after the film didn’t do well at the box office, and now that opportunity’s gone. It’s a bummer, seriously.

While Johnson isn’t likely to disappear from awards discussions, his chances will decrease if A24 focuses its campaign on If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You instead of pushing his film for multiple awards. It’s possible to get an acting nomination for a lesser-known film, but winning is very difficult if the movie itself isn’t gaining much traction. Given the film’s disappointing performance at the box office, Johnson could ill afford any further obstacles.

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2025-10-29 14:40