Late to the Game: The Netherlands vs. Marty Supremeby Vanja Booth

Have you been dying to experience the Oscar-nominated film Marty Supreme (2025) on the big screen? Well, good news, it’s out now! After dodging spoilers and reading reviews in the 55 days between the U.S. release date on December 25, 2025, and February 18, 2026, you can finally put your frustrations to rest. The staggering delays for non-American A24 followers may feel like a disappointing pattern, but the reasons behind them are strategic and more financially involved than you may realize.

This is due to A24’s favored “platform release” distribution strategy, where

films open in limited numbers, prioritizing the major markets in New York and Los Angeles, building positive word-of-mouth before expanding domestically, then internationally. This system of rollout results in inconsistent release dates, especially in the European market. The Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg), as well as France, Switzerland, and Denmark, only received their theatrical releases in late mid-February 2026. According to UK distribution experts, A24 can afford to delay its films due to its audience’s patience and cult-like following.

By letting the American publicity, festival praise, and critical acclaim build first, a chunk of A24’s marketing strategy is already taken care of, not having to start from scratch when curating targeted advertisements for smaller regions such as Benelux.

This differs from major Hollywood blockbusters, which push for simultaneous global releases to avoid spoilers and grip short attention spans. A24, however, deliberately prioritizes continuous cultural conversation instead of oversaturation. What this means for Marty Supreme is a gradual domestic expansion followed by an even slower international release, leaving Dutch audiences near the end of the chain.

Another roadblock the studio runs into is marketing efficiency. Massive global releases are often reserved for blockbusters due to the sheer size of the marketing budget they require. Though A24 is certainly the most popular indie film studio, its funds do not compare with those of Disney, Universal, or Paramount (the latter also pushing to acquire Warner Bros. Pictures within the year). Thus, it makes sense for the studio to have its carefully constructed budget focus on different marketing from region to region.

By letting the American publicity, festival praise, and critical acclaim build first, a chunk of A24’s marketing strategy is already taken care of, not having to start from scratch when curating targeted advertisements for smaller regions such as Benelux. This method presents international distributors with pre-existing award season buzz, box-office milestones, and viral attention from social media, diminishing the risk that smaller territories take when releasing films from independent studios.

The modern distribution environment also plays a role in theatrical releases, as by now Marty Supreme has already been released on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, available to rent or buy. Streaming rights are a particular issue, as in many European territories, platforms, cinemas, and broadcasters operate under pre-existing exclusivity agreements. These agreements often dictate the windows for theatrical releases and, in turn, restrict when a film can move from U.S. cinemas to international ones or local streaming platforms.

Al Horner from The Independent notes that delayed releases aren’t always a strategic choice but ones deriving from licensing rules that are especially difficult to navigate when there are overlapping contracts between broadcasters and streaming platforms that don’t care about the film’s popularity. For Dutch audiences, this means waiting for distributors to secure a favorable deal, perhaps months after its first release, to be able to watch the film—a process that almost always favors the British, French, and German markets.

Dutch cinemas tend to have a stronger arthouse tradition, which can be beneficial for local films and studios, but makes it harder for American indie films from A24 to premiere on time.

Releases may also revolve around famous film festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto, which help build the cultural significance and conversation that A24 favors so much. However, this inevitably pushes smaller regions down the chain that the films go through, premieres, awards, and press tours, before reaching the majority of Europe. Specifically for moviegoers in the Netherlands, such as students from UCU, this frustration from waiting stems from a particularly small theatrical market, as popular companies such as AMC, Cineworld, and Cinemark do not have many locations – or any, in terms of Utrecht. Dutch cinemas tend to have a stronger arthouse tradition, which can be beneficial for local films and studios, but makes it harder for American indie films from A24 to premiere on time.

In the case of Marty Supreme, Dutch viewers were only able to access it after its success as A24’s number one film was established. There are upsides to these delays, though, as they ensure better subtitling, stronger and more targeted promotional campaigns, and proven audience interest paired with critical acclaim. Although it means that viewers have a higher chance of facing spoilers and online discourse long before they can experience it for themselves. This creates a paradox as the studio’s careful distribution strategy maximizes its success and profitability, while simultaneously testing the patience and attention spans of international audiences.

Going forward, A24 is likely to continue this strategy as Marty Supreme’s success grows, which is particularly unfortunate for Benelux moviegoers. Despite the wait, I highly suggest you make time in your schedule to experience this Oscar-worthy film on the big screen. Enjoy!