Ahead of Marty Supreme, some may have guessed it would be among the 2026 Oscar nominees. (It's earned nine nods.) What proved to be more unexpected about the movie, though, was lead actor Timothée Chalamet heading up an offbeat marketing campaign. The PR blitz included included a massive orange blimp touring across the U.S., fans camping out for the viral Marty jackets and the Las Vegas’s sphere even being into a giant ping pong. Don’t collectively call all of that a “gimmick”, though, per Chalamet.
During a recent Q&A in London with Timothée Chalamet (moderated by Love Actually and In Time filmmaker Richard Curtis), the 30-year-old actor was asked about the lengths he went through to market his latest film. Chalamet then shared thoughts on why all the promotion is far more than a series of publicity stunts. In his words (via Variety):
Here’s the thing — this risks killing any mystery around it, but I really don’t look at it as promotion or marketing. I see myself as an artist expanding. And certainly the Zoom had a little bit of satire to it, but the initial video in the glass box, those [ping-pong ball] heads, I feel like I’m expressing myself. You know, a lot of people want to be told what to say, how to say it and where to stand — I’m talking on the acting front. Also, people don’t want to misstep. I feel like I’ve got the keys, I’ve got the right attitude, I’ve got the juice.
Whether he calls it marketing or not, Chalamet’s various Marty Supreme-related stunts helped lead the movie to have the biggest box office opening for an A24 film over the holiday season. That milestone was especially impressive, considering the film was competing with massive releases like Avatar: Fire And Ash, Zootopia 2 and The Housemaid. The sports dramedy even surpassed $100 million at the global box office a month into its release and has made $129.3 million worldwide ahead of its digital/physical release this coming week.
Given we're talking about an independent film inspired by a not very well-known ping-pong player, it's honestly understandable why Chalamet has done so much to bring more attention to it. The recent Q&A also saw the Dune star share additional thoughts on his rationale:
This is the new way of doing stuff. I’m trying to reach audiences, you know. I don’t want to be in the pretentious in-crowd. ‘Marty Supreme’ in America had the least frequent moviegoing audience this year — people that weren’t going to see everything. That’s my favorite feedback on the movie. So the most pretentious answer I could give you, which I actually honestly feel, is that it’s not marketing or promotion. That sounds like a gimmick, and this is not a gimmick. This is coming from my heart and my soul.
The Josh Safdie-helmed flick has been very well received by critics, and our Marty Supreme review gave it a perfect 5 out of 5. Overall, casual moviegoers also seem to be digging the movie, which has a B+ CinemaScore. Chalamet's work, in particular, has been praised, and he's already scored Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards wins. At this point, he's in a prime position to win his first Oscar after two prior nominations for Best Actor.
During the same Q&A, Chalamet shared thoughts on whether he’s been chasing awards for Marty to which he said “yes” but clarified his “quest” is specifically in support of the movie and its success. We’ll see if Chalamet wins his first golden statuette when the 98th Academy Awards air on ABC and Hulu on Sunday, March 15. Chalamet’s fellow nominees in the Best Actor category this year are Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura.
Considering how Timothée Chalamet helped market Marty Supreme, I'm curious as to how he'll handle promotion for future films. The actor’s next movie is Dune: Part Three, which hits theaters on December 18, and I wouldn't be surprised if Chalamet tried to top his ping pong ball-centric crusade.
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