Timothée Chalamet Channels Tom Cruise With Daring Stunt for Marty Supreme
Timothée Chalamet just took the Marty Supreme press blitz sky-high, becoming the first person atop the Las Vegas Sphere as it transformed into a giant ping-pong ball—supercharging awards buzz ahead of the film’s wide release.
Timothee Chalamet just took a movie press tour where it has literally never gone before: the top of the Las Vegas Sphere. Yes, the giant LED golf ball off the strip turned itself into a massive ping pong ball, because of course it did. For a film with awards buzz to lean into something this goofy? I kind of love it.
The Sphere stunt, because subtlety is canceled
Chalamet became the first person to appear on top of the Sphere. The whole exterior morphed into a ping pong ball to hype his new film, Marty Supreme. The promo came with a brand tie-in too: Marty Supreme x Cash App. The production even pushed special Cash App Card stamps tied to the movie. And if you caught their post, it came with the fine print: prepaid debit cards are issued by Sutton Bank, member FDIC, with terms linked in bio. Movie marketing in 2025, everybody.
"Original ball for an original guy."
This campaign is delightfully unhinged
The Sphere moment is just one piece. Chalamet also hopped on an 18-minute Zoom where he pitched some intentionally outrageous marketing ideas in character — including painting the Statue of Liberty orange. It does not exactly match the film's prestige vibe, but the chaos is doing what it needs to do: get attention.
And the numbers say it is working
Per Deadline, Marty Supreme just posted 2025's highest per-screen average to date: $875,000 from only six screens. For a slow rollout, that is serious demand.
Is Chalamet the next Cruise? Sort of, but also not really
Different actors, same mission: get people into theaters. Cruise treats promo like a daredevil sport — skydiving, jumping off cliffs, the whole myth-making machine — to keep theatrical spectacle alive. Chalamet's approach is more performance-art marketing than physical risk, but the commitment to the big-screen experience lines up.
There is another overlap that matters: both built credibility with top-tier directors. Cruise spent years with heavyweights like Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola before shifting fully into action-god mode. Chalamet has stacked his resume with Luca Guadagnino, Denis Villeneuve, and now Josh Safdie. In a world where IP supposedly swallowed the concept of a movie star, audiences are clearly still showing up for him. If you are looking for a credible heir to the Big Movie Star throne, he is in the conversation.
Marty Supreme at a glance
- Director: Josh Safdie
- Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher
- Runtime: 150 minutes
- IMDb: 8.0/10 (so far)
- Tomatometer: 95% (so far)
- Release: Opens nationwide December 25, 2025 (USA)
The bottom line
From a human on top of a glowing orb to a faux-boardroom pitch about painting landmarks, this campaign is bizarre, smart, and effective. The movie is landing with critics, the per-screen numbers are spiking, and Chalamet continues to make the case that you can still be a capital-M Movie Star — even without jumping off a cliff.