When it comes to Oscar-buzzy 2025 movie releases that come out this time of year, it seems like it’s usually a bit of an uphill battle from marketing teams to get audiences to see them on the big screen amidst more high-profile blockbusters. However, when it comes to Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet has been leading a huge viral campaign for the sports drama unlike what we’ve seen before for this kind of critically-acclaimed movie. And, per an industry source, it has something to do with his connection to the Kardashians.
Timothée Chalamet has been reportedly dating Kylie Jenner since 2023, even though the pair remain rather private about their relationship. (Chalamet even recently remained coy when asked about his holiday plans with the reality star). According to a new report from Page Six, an industry source who has allegedly worked with him said the actor has been “Kardashian-ized,” and they think the Marty Supreme press tour is an example of this. The source also said this:
Both Timmy and Kylie are just into a different genre, the way they think about life and how they want to live… he has pretty lofty goals.
The source suggested that both Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet are very focused on building their personal brands these days, and the actor has certainly been hard at work doing so for his latest movie. The 29-year-old has been synonymous with neon orange as of late, between rocking the color with his mom and matching with Kylie Jenner at red carpet events.
Additionally, the Marty Supreme jackets have been another big part of the campaign, with fans even camping out overnight at pop-ups for exclusive drops of the merchandise, which has been resold online for $1k plus. Lots of celebrities have been seen wearing the jackets like Jenner’s friends Hailey and Justin Bieber, only making the merch more coveted.
Other tactics have been Chalamet appearing on The Tonight Show with people wearing giant ping pong heads, making a video with rapper EsDeeKid (who he’s rumored to be) and hosting livestreams and social media posts that have caused rumbles online.
Chalamet’s marketing has seemingly been working in his favor, considering Deadline reported on Friday that Marty hit a presale record for A24, with over 70 percent of tickets sold overall for the movie’s limited release (ahead of having its wide release on Christmas Day).
Marty Supreme is also acclaimed by critics with a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Chalamet is also expected to earn his third Oscar nomination for the role after being nominated previously for Call Me By Your Name and A Complete Unknown. On award season site Gold Derby, the odds for Chalamet taking home the golden statuette is neck-and-neck with Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another.
As for the “Kardashian-ized” claims from the source, someone could argue that in some ways they track. That’s because Chalamet has a big connection to the Kardashians, and his vivacious marketing tactics can be compared to those of the highly successful family. Still, whether the reality TV family actually had a hand in it or not is not clear.
