‘Marty Supreme’ ping-pongs around ‘Anaconda’ to compete directly with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

Marty Supreme got off to a stellar start at the box office following its wide release on Christmas Day.

In a development which the industry has termed an “upset”, the Timothée Chalamet-starrer has outdone the more traditional choice, Anaconda, to settle in the second spot, behind Avatar: Fire and Ash.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film earned “a four-day opening in the $27 million range from 2,688 cinemas after opening to a stellar $9.5 million on Christmas Day,” with the move dubbed “a surprise upset”.

“That’s ahead of all expectations and a testament both to A24’s savvy business tactics and Chalamet’s relentless marketing efforts (not to mention the film itself and director Josh Safdie),” the report added.

Produced by A24 on a budget of $60-70 million, Marty Supreme is the indie studio’s most expensive presentation till date and since its initial release on December 19, further went on to become its best selling limited opening, “and the best of any film since 2016’s ‘La La Land’.”

While the James Cameron-directed Avatar: Fire and Ash is well on its way to an uncontested success at the box office still, several days after its December 19 debut, and is likely to “finish Sunday with a global cume well north of $700 million, if not closer to $800 million, including a domestic haul in the $220 million range.”

On the other hand, Paul Rudd and Jack Black star in the comedy monster movie Anaconda, which was expected to land ahead of Marty Supreme but failed to do so and was additionally panned by critics.