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There was a time when opening weekend was enough to fill theaters. From movie trailers and billboards to premiere photo ops, the movie industry thrived without relying heavily on movie merch. As expected, 2020 dramatically affected box office sales as people sheltered in place. Now, five years post-pandemic, the industry as a whole has yet to recover. From home theaters and streaming services to writers’ strikes and increased ticket prices, global box office revenues fall short, despite some year-over-year gains.
Today, however, movie swag has become more important than ever, despite the fact that we live in a digital world, or, as some might argue, because of it. Think about it; a trailer disappears in a scroll, a banner ad fades into the background, but say a stylish jacket? That’s something that can live on well after the movie buzz.
Movie Marketing
People photograph what they wear, and unboxing videos and photos can be found on every social platform. People love styling outfits or showing off collectibles on shelves. When a product design is strong, the audience soon becomes the marketing vehicle.
Furthermore, because User-generated content spreads faster and feels more authentic than paid media, a fan wearing a jacket tied to a film communicates enthusiasm in a way digital ads can’t.
Marty Supreme Merch
Case in point, the viral Marty Supreme jacket with a 90’s windbreaker vibe. Even though it promoted a movie that had yet to hit theaters, the jacket became every bit as scarce as it was in demand. The jacket has been worn by everyone from Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, girlfriend Kylie Jenner, famous athletes, musicians, and many more.
While the viral Marty Supreme jacket became the breakout star of the film's pre-release hype and featured on celebrities from Tom Brady to Bill Nye, sparking resale frenzies, it was far from the only piece of physical movie merch in play. Los Angeles-based luxury menswear designer Doni Nahmias (founder of the streetwear label NAHMIAS) teamed up directly with Timothée Chalamet and his longtime stylist Taylor McNeill to craft the entire capsule collection.
What started as a custom look for Chalamet evolved into a full retro sportswear-inspired line, blending '90s windbreaker vibes with high-end details like embroidered logos, matching track pants, fleece hoodies, polos, jerseys, and even paddle-shaped keychains. The signature hooded track jacket, in multiple colorways (navy/blue being the most coveted), retailed around $250 and quickly sold out at pop-up events in NYC and LA, proving once again how limited-edition apparel can create scarcity-driven buzz and an ideal movie marketing strategy.
But A24 didn't stop at fashion-forward movie swag. The official A24 Shop (shop.a24films.com) hosts an even broader selection of Marty Supreme swag, much of which remains on waitlist or sells out in minutes due to high demand. Fans can snag everyday items like a pack of six orange Marty Supreme Championship Table Tennis Balls for just $18 and even ornaments for $8, making these affordable Marty Supreme movie merch items perfect for channeling the film's ping-pong obsession.
For true collectors, there's the ultra-limited Marty Supreme x JOOLA Table Tennis Table (only 100 made!), a premium $850 collaboration with the renowned table tennis brand JOOLA, complete with custom branding and a sleek design that doubles as both functional gear and a statement piece. Other drops include themed kits with rackets and balls, and '47-brand collab hats nodding to New York sports teams.
This diverse lineup shows how movie merch has evolved beyond basic tees and posters: it's now a strategic extension of the brand, blending accessibility with exclusivity to keep the conversation alive long after trailers fade. By partnering with high-profile designers like Nahmias and specialists like JOOLA, A24 turns passive viewers into active participants—wearing, playing, and sharing the film's aesthetic in the real world.
While the viral Marty Supreme jacket was a standout piece of movie merch that built massive pre-release hype, it wasn’t the only clever tactic in A24’s playbook. On November 15, 2025, Timothée Chalamet posted what appeared to be a “leaked” 18-minute Zoom call to his Instagram (captioned simply as “video93884728.mp4,” which made it feel even more accidental and insider-y), with A24 simultaneously sharing the video on their YouTube channel.
The video featured Chalamet in a hilariously awkward “brand meeting” with studio execs, pitching increasingly absurd promotional ideas—like painting the Statue of Liberty in the film’s signature orange hue, or dropping ping-pong balls from an orange blimp over a festival crowd.
The video quickly went viral, sparking discussions across social media, Reddit, and outlets like Forbes, GQ, and The Guardian—proving once again that A24 excels at turning unconventional, shareable content into cultural moments that keep audiences talking long before opening night. What made the stunt even more brilliant? Several of Chalamet's over-the-top suggestions actually came to life, blurring the lines between satire and real-world execution in true A24 fashion.
Take the blimp idea: What started as a ridiculous pitch in the Zoom call became reality with a bright orange Marty Supreme blimp emblazoned with the film's title and tagline “Dream Big.” It floated over Los Angeles for weeks during awards season, hovering above key industry events, guild screenings, and even music festivals like Camp Flog Gnaw—where it famously (and fittingly) rained down branded orange ping-pong balls on the crowd below, turning a promo stunt into an unforgettable spectacle that generated endless photos, videos, and chatter.
Another pitch-turned-reality was the custom Wheaties box. In the film, Chalamet's character, Marty Mauser—a cocky, ambitious table tennis hustler—confidently declares that his success will land him on the cover of a Wheaties box someday. A24 made that dream literal by partnering with Wheaties for a limited-edition $25 collector's box featuring Chalamet as Marty Mauser on the iconic orange packaging. It sold out in hours on the A24 Shop and Wheaties site, turning a movie line into a tangible, shareable piece of merch that fans snapped up as proof of their fandom. This clever nod not only amplified the “Dream Big” theme central to the story but also created Marty's "champion" moment that fans could hold in their hands.
Rounding out the experiential side, A24 leaned into the film's underground ping-pong roots with the Marty Supreme Invitational—an exclusive, invite-only table tennis tournament hosted in collaboration with Airbnb Experiences. Held in a secret Lower East Side location in New York on December 17, 2025 (just ahead of the Christmas Day release), it invited up to 24 guests to compete in heats for the title, complete with pro-level play, DJs, and post-match celebrations. Billed as an "underground" event to echo the gritty, hustle-driven table tennis scene in the movie, it gave fans a real-world taste of Marty's world—turning passive viewers into active participants and generating authentic social media buzz from attendees.
All these elements—blimp sky-high visibility, Wheaties dream fulfillment, immersive tournaments, and limited merch—show how A24 masterfully layered absurdity, interactivity, and scarcity to keep Marty Supreme in the cultural conversation far beyond traditional trailers or billboards. As for the movie itself, which had a limited rollout starting December 19, 2026, that led to its wide release on Christmas Day, it’s currently A24’s top-grossing film.
A24 is no stranger to out-of-the-box movie marketing campaigns. For example, in 2015, to promote the Sci Fi movie Ex Machina, they created a Tinder campaign targeting SXSW. The AI chatbot profile featured Ava, the movie’s main character. Profiles that matched were then marketed to the movie. Catfishing? Many thought so, but even still, the results cannot be ignored.
“Within minutes of launching Ava's profile, the matches started rolling in. 400+ unique conversations were executed over a 3–day span, many of which resulted in trips to the premiere. Once word got out that Ava's profile was tied to the film, publicity coverage and Twitter response spiked as audiences recognized the clever, yet morally polarizing marketing initiative. The activation was one of the most discussed topics at SXSW, standing out as a creative triumph amongst the convention's myriad of ads and stunts. A resounding success, the effort garnered numerous write–ups in top–class publications…”
— Shorty Awards, “Ex Machina TINDER TURING TEST,” 8th Annual Shorty Awards, https://shortyawards.com/8th/ex-machina.
In an era where theatrical revenues continue to struggle post-pandemic and fleeting digital ads vanish instantly in endless social feeds, movie merchandise has risen as a true powerhouse marketing tool. It forges tangible, lasting, and highly shareable connections that dramatically extend a film's cultural lifespan well beyond its opening weekend. A24's masterful Marty Supreme campaign powerfully demonstrates this shift: from the viral '90s-inspired jackets that sparked resale frenzies and celebrity endorsements, to limited-edition Wheaties boxes fulfilling on-screen dreams, absurd-yet-fully-realized stunts like the towering orange blimp raining branded ping-pong balls over festivals, and immersive underground table tennis tournaments.
These merch-driven and experiential tactics cleverly transformed passive viewers into enthusiastic evangelists, masterfully blurring the lines between fiction and reality while generating massive cultural buzz and propelling the film to record-breaking box office success for the studio. As major studios grapple with intensifying streaming competition and evolving audience habits, investing in memorable, high-quality, lasting swag is no longer optional—it's absolutely essential for converting casual viewers into lifelong, passionate brand ambassadors who keep the conversation alive indefinitely.
