Timothée Chalamet’s Christmas Takeover Continues

Timothée ChalametThe rise of the holiday season didn’t happen overnight, but this Christmas cemented what has quietly become a pattern.

For the third year in a row, the actor is starring in one of the most publicized holiday films Ticketing stretch, proving its appeal spans genres, generations and audience expectations.

As studios look for stars who can guarantee a crowd, Chalamet’s name has become increasingly synonymous with Christmas cinema.

Chalamet officially scored his third straight Christmas season win with A24’s original sports comedy-drama “Marty Supreme.”

The film, released Dec. 25, grossed $17.4 million over the traditional weekend and $27.1 million over the four-day holiday, placing it third behind “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Zootopia 2.”

The performance marked the second-biggest opening weekend in A24 history and pushed total domestic ticket sales to $28.3 million after a previous limited run.

“It was a brave, creative risk – a period sports drama – and it’s going to pay off, thanks to Chalamet and the good playing time over the holidays,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. Variety.

The strong performance follows the movie star’s previous holiday hits, “Wonka” in 2023 and “A Complete Unknown” in 2024, strengthening his hold on the season.

Timothée Chalamet’s reign at the Christmas box office began with “Wonka,” which debuted to $39 million and ultimately grossed $634 million worldwide.

The following year, “A Complete Unknown” debuted modestly on Christmas Day, but grossed $140 million worldwide.

Neither film built on record-breaking debuts. Instead, both benefited from the lucrative period between Christmas and New Year, traditionally the busiest movie week of the year.

Speaking about Chalamet’s success, Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian noted, “No matter the genre, whether it’s a musical, biopic, sci-fi or comedy, his choice of material and collaborators has made him not only a bona fide movie star, but also a box office draw.” »

Unlike “Wonka” or “A Complete Unknown,” “Marty Supreme” is an entirely original film, made on a budget of $70 million, the largest in A24 history.

This scale means that sustainability is important, but the first signs are encouraging.

The film holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B+” CinemaScore from audiences, with approximately 65% ​​of ticket buyers under the age of 35.

To keep the film from fading, Chalamet transformed himself into a one-man marketing machine.

He handed out the viral 1950s windbreaker, piloted an orange Nickelodeon blimp, climbed the Sphere in Las Vegas, and repeated the phrase “Marty Supreme. Christmas Day” until it caught on.

According to Exhibitor Relations Analyst Jeff Bock, “the promotional work he has done with this film is top-level genius.”

This Christmas box office was dominated by the heavyweights.

According to Variety“Avatar: Fire and Ash” remained No. 1 with $64 million this weekend and $760 million worldwide after two weekends, while “Zootopia 2” surpassed $1.42 billion worldwide.

Despite this competition, “Marty Supreme” still appeared as the most striking debut album among the new releases.

“Marty Supreme had the best debut among the newcomers,” analysts noted, attributing the success to Josh Safdie’s direction and Chalamet’s star power.

“Sports dramas aren’t great films to begin with, but the right casting can elevate them,” Gross said. “Timothée Chalamet makes that kind of difference.”