It’s not every day you get the chance to fly in a blimp — and definitely not the Insta-famous electric orange “Marty Supreme” aircraft.
Full disclosure: Most of our colleagues thought we were crazy. “You’re going up in what?” or “You’re braver than I am” was a common refrain. “You wouldn’t catch me in a blimp,” another said more bluntly. The invitation was an immediate no-go for anyone claustrophobic or afraid of heights. Our thought: “But it must be safe, right? A24 can’t let a bunch of journalists become the story because they died in a blimp crash!” (We’re writing this, so obviously we survived to tell the tale.)
When the time comes to board the airship, we’re the sixth ride out of seven scheduled for the day. (The film’s stars Tyler the Creator and Odessa A’Zion flew this route the day before.) We stand off to the side of the runway as the blimp descends from the sky, and the ground crew races forward to grab ropes that hang off the sides. It’s their job to hold the gargantuan object steady for the previous riders (another pair of journalists) to disembark and for us to climb in.
The cabin is roomier than you’d imagine, with two passenger seats behind the pilot’s chairs. We quickly buckle ourselves in, put on our headphones and before we know it — though we bet the crew’s biceps feel every passing second — it’s time for liftoff.
“Welcome to the ‘Marty Supreme’ Experience!” our pilot, Caesar Mendez, exclaims as the crew lets go of the ropes and we begin our ascent.
Soon, we’re floating 1,000 feet above the ground, listening in as Mendez gets updates from the air traffic control tower. Because we’re the slowest aircraft in the skies (the blimp’s cruising speed is around 25-30 mph), we have the right of way. This means that helicopters and airplanes taking off and landing at the Long Beach International Airport, as well as the Goodyear blimp that’s flying off to our right, have to keep an eye out for us. The “Marty Supreme” blimp is about half the size of the Goodyear balloon, which is moving about twice our speed. We all wave as it circles across our windshield a few minutes later.
While we bob in the air, Mendez explains how the aircraft operates. He’s got wheels on the side of his seat that moderate the pitch of the blimp’s nose while his feet pedal against the rudders that control its movement left and right. “It feels like riding a bike for six hours,” the pilot says.
Mendez and his co-pilot made the 13-day journey from Nashville (where the company is headquartered) to California, flying over Memphis, Dallas, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, Palm Springs and a handful of smaller cities along the way. (The pilots swapped shifts as they flew about eight hours a day.)
The route we’re flying today is just a 30-minute loop from the Long Beach airfield to the coastline, where, down below, the docked Queen Mary cruise liner looks about the size of a large yacht. But the view is spectacular: perfectly blue skies with the sun shimmering over the water. It’s already time to turn back, though, so we head for the airfield.
As we begin our descent, there are no tray tables to put away or a reminder to fasten your seatbelt. It’s only then that Angelique realizes that there wasn’t really a safety demonstration; the emergency exit is the only exit — a door bolted next to Clayton’s left leg. Landing is a totally different experience from sitting on a passenger jet. Instead of the jolt of the landing gear crashing onto the runway, it’s jarring to watch a group of men run at you to catch the ropes and keep you from floating away again.
Overall, the blimp ride was totally smooth sailing, if slightly uneventful. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, there’s plenty of frenetic energy on display in “Marty Supreme” itself, as star Timothée Chalamet and director Josh Safdie find a way to make ping pong feel like it’s life or death.
But why are they doing all this?
The Nickelodeon orange blimp emblazoned with the film’s title and tagline, “Dream Big,” has become an inescapable fixture in the Los Angeles skyline this awards season, a bold aerial gambit in what’s shaping up to be a very competitive Oscar race. A24’s unconventional marketing strategy — floating the advertisement for the Chalamet-led ping pong drama above the city for weeks and other offbeat stunts — has sparked conversations before most voters have even seen it (spoiler alert: There’s no blimp in the movie). The blimp has been spotted hovering over key industry events, from guild screenings to holiday parties, ensuring that “Marty Supreme” remains top of mind as ballots begin circulating.
But as the race tightens and contenders multiply, the blimp strategy reveals both its cleverness and its risks. With heavyweight films like “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners” and “Hamnet” dominating nominations and critical awards, mere visibility can’t be enough. The orange blimp has succeeded in making “Marty Supreme” the most talked-about FYC campaign of the season, yet the film still faces an uphill battle in securing nominations, especially as the last release of the year. But can it get there? It’s a question on which A24 is betting millions of dollars — and one very conspicuous airship — in the hopes it will pay off come nominations morning.
