Marty Supreme, a ping pong movie starring Timothée Chalamet, is reportedly one of A24’s most expensive endeavors ever. Directed by Josh Safdie, the upcoming film, which is currently film in New York, is loosely based on the life of table tennis legend Marty Reisman, who dominated the sport in the 1950s. In addition to Chalamet, the Marty Supreme cast features Gwyneth Paltrow in a supporting role, with Tyler The Creator also making his acting debut alongside supporting actors like Fran Drescher, Abel Ferrara, and Sandra Bernhard.
A new report from Deadline now reveals that Marty Supreme‘s budget has made the film the talk of the town at the American Film Market in Las Vegas. The report notes that buyers at the event have cited the film’s budget to be a staggering $90 million, but Deadline‘s own sources put the budget closer to $70 million. The latter figure is on par with The Smashing Machine, an A24 wrestling biopic starring Dwayne Johnson from other Josh’s brother, Benny Safdie. The $70 million price tags make both movies tied as the most expensive A24 productions ever.
Together, Benny and Josh Safdie directed movies like
Uncut Gems
(2019) and
Good Time
(2017).
Though such a price tag would be unusual for a more traditional sports biopic, the report notes that Marty Supreme is being envisioned and positioned as “a fast-paced, globetrotting adventure-comedy in the vein of Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can.”
What Marty Supreme’s Budget Means For The Film’s Box Office Chances
Will The Film Be Able To Break Even?
The fact that A24 currently has its two most expensive movies ever now in production speaks to the company’s ambitions. For context, Alex Garland’s Civil War (2024) was the company’s previous biggest movie ever at the time, and that film featured a budget of $50 million. That dystopian thriller was released earlier this year with a big marketing campaign and was a box office success, grossing $126 million worldwide. It’s now clear that A24 is hoping to move more into big-budget territory after working mostly with budgets well below $25 million over the past decade.
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With a $70 million budget, Marty Supreme will likely be looking at a break-even point of between $140 million and $175 million. Since most not clued into the world of table tennis will have no clue who Reisman is, A24 is clearly banking hard on Chalamet himself being a major draw here. This isn’t a bad bet considering Chalamet headlined Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed Dune: Part Two (2024) and Paul King’s Wonka (2023), which grossed $714 million and $634 million, respectively. Still, though, both of these titles were also based on existing IP.
Our Take On Marty Supreme’s Budget
The Upcoming A24 Movie Could Give Chalamet A Major Career Boost
Even with Chalamet, Marty Supreme is a risk. The film will, however, serve as an interesting test regarding just how much of a draw Chalamet is to audiences on his own, separate from popular IP. If Marty Supreme does succeed, Chalamet is essentially confirmed as one of the biggest and most powerful young movie stars in Hollywood today, a relatively small category.
This move is also exciting for A24, and it will be interesting to see the company bring unique stories to life with higher production values. A24 movies don’t tend to look or feel like other Hollywood movies, and they often have more niche appeal. Navigating this gap between artistic vision and commercial obligation will become more complex as budgets grow larger, and Marty Supreme is certainly shaping up to be an exciting endeavor in this respect.
Source: Deadline
In 1950s New York, Marty Reisman rises through the underground world of table tennis, transforming the sport with his acrobatic skills and flamboyant personality. As he navigates fame, fortune, and a cast of colorful characters, his obsession with winning collides with personal struggles in this biopic directed by Josh Safdie.
- Director
- Josh Safdie
- Release Date
- December 25, 2024
- Writers
- Ronald Bronstein , Josh Safdie
- Character(s)
- Uncredited , Marty Reisman
- Main Genre
- Sports
