Hollywood loves an underdog story, but at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, the underdog simply got crushed. Marty Supreme, the highly anticipated A24 sports dramedy loosely inspired by 1950s table tennis hustler Marty Reisman, walked into the Dolby Theatre as a major heavyweight. It boasted a massive $179 million global box office haul, universal critical acclaim, and nine Oscar nominations—including Best Picture, Best Director for Josh Safdie, and Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet.
Yet, when the final envelope was opened and the telecast concluded, Marty Supreme had officially gone 0-for-9. It is one of the most brutal shutouts in recent Oscar history. The internet is already divided, with fans crying foul and critics claiming it was entirely justified. So, let’s look at the reality of the situation: Did Marty Supreme actually deserve to go home empty-handed?
Timothée Chalamet attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
The Competition Was Simply Too Fierce
To understand the shutout, you have to look at the films that actually took home the gold. The 2026 Oscar race was dominated by two unstoppable juggernauts: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
The Best Actor Race: Chalamet was considered a frontrunner early in the season, especially after winning the Golden Globe for his charismatic, hyper-ambitious portrayal of Marty Mauser. However, he ran directly into the buzzsaw of Michael B. Jordan’s historic dual-performance in Sinners. Jordan simply had the heavier, more emotionally resonant role.
The Craft Categories: Marty Supreme scored nods for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design. While the film perfectly captured the dive bars and sharp suits of 1950s New York, voters ultimately favored the sprawling, multi-generational scope of One Battle After Another and the visually striking horror of Sinners in the technical categories.
Awards season is as much about politics and likability as it is about the actual acting, and Josh Safdie’s controversy hit some massive speed bumps.
Also, Timothée Chalamet received critics for an out of context extract interview where he talks about ballet and opera. The backlash was so severe that host Conan O’Brien even roasted him during his opening monologue, joking that Dolby Theatre security was “extremely tight” due to threats from the “opera and ballet communities.”
The “Safdie Anxiety” Factor
If you have ever seen a Josh Safdie film (Uncut Gems, Good Time), you know they are not exactly “feel-good” cinematic experiences. Marty Supreme is chaotic, kinetic, and features a protagonist who is deeply unlikable for long stretches of the runtime.
While critics and younger audiences ate up the frenetic energy and the supporting cast’s brilliant chaos (which included Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, and Tyler, the Creator), the Academy’s older voting bloc tends to struggle with picaresque, anxiety-inducing narratives. The Academy likes traditional story arcs, and Marty Supreme actively subverted them at every turn.
The Verdict: Did It Deserve the Shutout?
No. To say a film with nine nominations “deserved” zero wins feels incredibly harsh. The kinetic editing and Darius Khondji’s suffocating, brilliant cinematography absolutely deserved to be in the winner’s conversation. Timothée Chalamet also deserved the Best Actor award for his performance. He proved his star power by helping a movie about ping-pong gross nearly $180 million, a monumental achievement in today’s theatrical landscape.
