The biggest loser at the 98th Academy Awards wasn’t a person; it was a film. Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s ping-pong epic starring Timothée Chalamet, entered the night with 11 nominations, the most of any film this year. It left with zero wins. The Marty Supreme Oscars shut out ties the record for most nominations without a single victory, matching The Color Purple (1985) and The Turning Point (1977).
The room sat stunned as category after category slipped away. Best Original Score went to Sinners. Best Cinematography to The Brutalist. Best Director to Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another. Best Actor, where Chalamet was considered the frontrunner after Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins, went to Michael B. Jordan for Sinners.
The Safdie brothers’ film followed the rise of Marty Reisman, a real-life ping-pong champion who revolutionized the sport in mid-century America. Critics praised its kinetic energy, Chalamet’s transformative performance, and the period-perfect production design. But the Academy looked elsewhere in nearly every category.
The film’s only potential win came in Best Original Screenplay, where Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein were nominated. That award went to Ryan Coogler for Sinners instead.
By the time the final category, Best Picture, was announced, the outcome felt inevitable. One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s three-hour epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, took the top prize, leaving Marty Supreme completely empty-handed.
Chalamet had been the odds-on favorite for Best Actor. His portrayal of Reisman required him to learn professional-level ping-pong, transform his physicality, and carry a film that rested almost entirely on his shoulders. He won at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, building momentum that seemed unstoppable.
But the SAG Awards shifted the race when Michael B. Jordan took home the Actor trophy earlier this month. Oscar voters followed suit Sunday, handing Jordan the statue for his dual role in Sinners.
Chalamet smiled through the loss, applauding Jordan warmly as cameras captured his reaction. But the image of Hollywood’s youngest Best Actor hopeful walking away empty-handed will define the night for many.
The 0-for-11-night places Marty Supreme in unwanted company. Only three films in Oscar history have lost more than 10 nominations without a win:
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The Color Purple (1985): 11 nominations, 0 wins
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The Turning Point (1977): 11 nominations, 0 wins
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Marty Supreme (2026): 11 nominations, 0 wins
Gangs of New York (2002) received 10 nominations and lost them all, a record Marty Supreme now ties for most losses in a single night.
Industry insiders point to vote splitting as a possible culprit. Marty Supreme competed in a year dominated by two other heavyweights: Sinners, which won Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography (four wins total), and One Battle After Another, which took Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film’s technical achievements, cinematography, production design, costume design, may have split votes with The Brutalist, which won in two of those categories. And in the acting races, Chalamet faced the strongest Best Actor field in years.
Josh Safdie now holds the distinction of directing a film with 11 nominations and zero wins. He’s already developing his next project, an original thriller reportedly set in the world of competitive chess, which could reunite him with Chalamet.
For Chalamet, the loss stings but doesn’t define. At 30, he remains one of the most nominated actors of his generation, with two Best Actor nods already. He’ll next appear in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, due Christmas 2027.
But Sunday night belonged to others. And Marty Supreme joined the strangest club in Oscar history, the list of films nominated for everything and awarded nothing.
