Quick Read
- Marty Supreme earned $27.1M in four days, the biggest holiday opening for A24.
- The film stars Timothée Chalamet as a 1950s table tennis player and was heavily promoted on social media.
- Marty Supreme outperformed Sony’s Anaconda and received a stellar 95% Rotten Tomatoes score.
As 2025’s box office finale played out, few expected a mid-budget indie drama about ping-pong to challenge Hollywood’s holiday titans. Yet ‘Marty Supreme,’ directed by Josh Safdie and fronted by Timothée Chalamet, shattered expectations and records, posting a $27.1 million four-day total and $17.5 million across the traditional weekend. That makes it A24’s second-largest debut ever—only trailing last spring’s ‘Civil War.’ The film’s ten-day cumulative haul hit $28.2 million, nearly half its reported $65-70 million budget already recouped in the first stretch.
Set in the 1950s, ‘Marty Supreme’ follows the underdog story of Marty Mauser, a table tennis player from New York’s Lower East Side. But what really moved audiences wasn’t just the story—it was the campaign. Chalamet’s promotional blitz, from standing atop The Sphere in Las Vegas to a blimp cruising over Beverly Hills, generated viral attention. Social media buzz hit 197 million impressions before opening, with 28% of moviegoers citing online platforms as their main source of awareness. Half of ticket buyers admitted they went for Chalamet himself. The result? A24’s biggest opening ever, and proof that the indie studio can play on the same field as the big boys—no longer just critical darlings, but box office contenders (ScreenRant).
Audience turnout for ‘Marty Supreme’ skewed 66% between ages 18-34, with men over 25 making up the largest segment at 36%. Women under 25, though a smaller group, gave the film a remarkable 94% positive rating and a 73% definite recommend. Diversity was strong: 51% Caucasian, 23% Hispanic/Latino, 10% Black, and 11% Asian American. Walk-up business was brisk—52% bought tickets on the day. The film performed best in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Boston, and Toronto, with Regal Union Square leading national sales at $74,000. Such broad appeal is rare for an art film, further cementing Chalamet’s reputation as a box office magnet.
Critics echoed the enthusiasm. ‘Marty Supreme’ landed a stellar 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews lauding Safdie’s singular vision. ScreenRant’s Todd Gilchrist called it ‘not just a masterpiece, but a vivid, cohesive—singular—vision.’ With such acclaim, the film seems poised for a strong awards season run and continued momentum into January.
But the context is just as important. This holiday frame was fiercely competitive. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ dominated with a $64 million three-day and $217.7 million cumulative domestic total, while ‘Zootopia 2’ held strong with $20 million in its fifth weekend. Even Sony’s ‘Anaconda,’ a comedy starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, drew $23.7 million over four days. Yet ‘Marty Supreme’ didn’t just keep pace—it outperformed ‘Anaconda,’ a rare feat for an indie drama.
Industry insiders note that 2025 is closing with box office figures roughly on par with 2024’s $8.75 billion domestic haul—still well below 2019’s $11.4 billion. Theaters are watching nervously as streaming giants like Netflix eye traditional studios, and the landscape keeps shifting. Yet, amid this uncertainty, A24’s triumph with ‘Marty Supreme’ signals that original, character-driven stories can still pack theaters and make noise, even when tentpoles dominate headlines (Lewistown Sentinel).
‘Marty Supreme’ wasn’t just a hit with critics and fans—it was a strategic win for A24, demonstrating the studio’s growth from niche indie player to a force capable of launching blockbusters. As the movie industry looks to 2026, with sequels and franchise films on the horizon, the success of ‘Marty Supreme’ is a reminder: sometimes, the biggest surprise comes from the smallest places—a ping-pong table, a viral sketch, a blimp in the sky.
The rapid rise of ‘Marty Supreme’ is a watershed moment for A24, showing that a strong creative vision and innovative marketing can turn an unconventional subject into a mass-market hit. In a year marked by volatility and shifting audience habits, Safdie and Chalamet’s collaboration proves that risk-taking can still pay off, and that the box office crown isn’t reserved only for blockbuster franchises.