Marty Supreme: Promotion Success vs. A Cinematic Hit

The most frequent moviegoing generation, Gen Z, (Indiewire.com) has flooded theaters in the past for action-packed and visually pleasing films like The Minecraft Movie and Zootopia 2, creating large theatrical turnouts and box office hits. So how did a film about Ping Pong in the 1950’s become one of the most popular movies among Gen Z? Marty Supreme grossed over 100 million dollars, making it one of the biggest box office hits since 2023’s best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. But did audiences come to theatres for the content of the movie or to participate in the digital hype that came from the movie's promotion?

In a marketing campaign for the film, Chalamet said,“People’s attention spans are so short these days ... How do you convince them to go to the cinema, to spend money to see a film, rather than waiting to stream it illegally, or for it to be available on Netflix?”

Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner wearing orange for Marty Supreme

The promotion for the movie was not the traditional talk show appearance and repetitive trailer. A24, the entertainment company for the movie, focused on internet culture as a new way to attract audiences. The company “leaked” an 18-minute Zoom call back in November on YouTube, where Chalamet proposed impractical plans to the A24 Marketing team on how to promote the film. Some of the “unhinged” ideas Chalamet suggested were used, leaving viewers wondering if the call was really a parody, and keeping audiences on their toes for the different strategies that were being used to advertise the film. Chalamet expressed in the call, “Movie marketing is trying to be passive, trying to be chic…We’re not trying to be chic.”

One of the simplest yet popular ways to attract eyes for pop culture is through colors, as demonstrated through the Barbie Movie’s use of the color pink and Charlie XCX’s use of neon green in “Brat.” A24 crowned orange as the film's signature color. Actors dressed in orange for events, and a bright orange blimp was flown over the US with the slogan “Dream Big” under the movie title.

The studio attracted younger audiences by releasing the Marty Supreme 90’s styled Jacket, aligning with vintage fashion trends. They were only offered in flash sales and limited events, but received immense popularity after being worn by celebrities such as Tom Brady, Kid Cudi, Michael Phelps, and social media influencers. A24 used Susan Boyle, a past Britain’s Got Talent winner, to wear the jacket, and posted it with their slogan “Dream Big.”

In collaboration with Airbnb, A24 hosted underground pingpong tournaments in cities like New York, where Timothee Chalemet showed up and made surprise appearances. Videos quickly circulated on the internet and went viral. These offline experiences were a strategic way for the movie to “come to life” and be seen by a young audience on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Underground and anonymous UK rapper Esdeekid became popular on TikTok back in November after rumors of Timothee Chalamet being the rapper went viral. After various interviews asking Chalamet if he was the rapper, the song 4 Raws was dropped, where Esdeekid and Chalamet collaborated with one of Chalamet's lyrics saying “It’s Marty Supreme” repeatedly. This not only brought more attention to the movie, but to Timothee Chalamet himself, with the sound becoming viral on TikTok and younger fans seeing the movie for the actor.

Junior Julia Bograd, who is an active Esdeekid listener, went to see the movie over winter break with her dad. When asked why she chose to see Marty Supreme, she said, “I heard Timothee Chalamet on 4 Raws and wanted to see the movie.”

Finally, on December 22, a video of Chalamet on the Las Vegas Sphere was posted where Timothe Chalamet was standing on top of a large orange ping pong ball and shouted “Marty Supreme Christmas Day,” which became another slogan for the movie.

By straying away from traditional movie marketing and utilizing social media, A24 was able to successfully incorporate meme culture and take advantage of the collective consciousness that comes from social media to attract younger audiences.