Best known for his participation as an investor on "Shark Tank,” Kevin O'Leary recently took on a new role with his big-screen acting debut in "Marty Supreme." The film has major awards buzz and could help boost movie theater stocks in late 2025 and early 2026.

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O'Leary Acting Debut

Former "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban played himself on TV shows and in movies and saw movie roles such as playing the president in "Sharknado 3." O'Leary could be following his former co-host into the world of Hollywood with a major role in "Marty Supreme."

In the film, O'Leary plays Milton Rockwell, a wealthy businessman in the 1950s. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as a young shoe salesman who becomes a ping pong champion.

"I didn't go to acting school. No Acting 101, no lessons, nothing," O'Leary recently tweeted when discussing the film.

O'Leary said the movie features professional actors who expected the "Shark Tank" star to "execute" on his role.

"Timothée snaps into character before the cameras even roll, he becomes that guy instantly, an absolute menace, which made it easy. I ripped right into him and we were off. No warm-up, no easing in, just straight to work."

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Box Office, Awards Success

"Marty Supreme" opened in six movie theaters over the weekend, grossing $875,400. The film ranked ninth domestically and set a 2025 record for the highest per-screen average at $145,900 for a limited release, as reported by Deadline.

The film's per-screen average is one of the highest ever and could set the movie up well for a wide theatrical release on Christmas Day. The per-screen average is the highest in the history of distributor A24.

Sold-out showings and a strong 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes could add to the buzz that the film is already receiving. The film was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, with nods for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Performance by a Male Actor (Musical or Comedy) and Best Screenplay.

On prediction market Kalshi, the film has the second-best odds to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at 10%, trailing only "One Battle After Another" at 76%. This comes ahead of the Academy Award nominations being officially announced.

Help for Movie Theaters?

Movies like "Marty Supreme" may not rank as the top-grossing films of the year, but they often times can provide help for movie theater companies like AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC) and Cinemark Holdings (NYSE:CNK).

The film's strong ratings and word-of-mouth reviews will have people heading to theaters when the film expands from its current six locations. Major award buzz could also drive people to the film.

On Jan. 22, Academy Award nominations will be announced, providing another potential catalyst to send people to theaters to see the film.

The strength of "Marty Supreme" could help movie theater stocks offset some weakness from the highly anticipated "Avatar: Fire and Ash." The third Avatar franchise film opened with $88 million in domestic box office, topping the weekend.

While this is a huge open, it comes in short of the $90 million to $105 million estimate that experts were projecting and trails the $134 million open of "Avatar: The Way of Water," the second film in the franchise.

The film had an international box office of $257 million, which was more in line with estimates. Past Avatar films have had strong staying power in theaters, with both movies passing $2 billion in global box office and ranking number one for seven weekends at the box office.

AMC and Cinemark could end up ending 2025 on a high note with the performance of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," a movie that also likely influences their early 2026 box office performance. The strong performance of "Marty Supreme" could also help movie theater stocks with an award-worthy film getting buzz and strong reviews at the perfect time.

Movie theater companies are expecting an even bigger 2026 with a lineup that includes the first Star Wars film since 2019 with "Mandalorian and Grogu," "Toy Story 5," "Avengers: Doomsday" and more.

"We expect the fourth quarter industrywide box office will turn out to be the highest-grossing fourth quarter in six years," AMC CEO Adam Aron said after third quarter financial results." We also continue to believe that the size of the 2026 box office will be dramatically larger than that achieved in 2025."

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