Apple may finally have its first blockbuster at the box office. The racing film F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, has earned over $200 million US globally and is expected to top $300 million US (about $408 million CAD) by the 4th of July weekend.
“This is a movie that will run and run and run,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution head at Warner Bros, which partnered with Apple on the theatrical release, to the Financial Times. “There’s a lot of gas left in the tank.”
F1 marks a milestone for Apple, giving Pitt the biggest opening weekend of his career and showing the tech giant can compete with traditional studios at the box office. The film was directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, with backing from Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.
“[F1] really validates what Apple’s doing,” said producer Kevin Walsh, who has worked with Apple on other projects. “They’re in the business to stay and are ready to expand.”
According to a source familiar with Apple’s strategy to the Financial Times, “With F1, they were looking for something very commercial. This has proved that they can do theatrical [releases].”
Production faced delays due to Hollywood strikes, and the film was shot at actual F1 events in multiple countries. Apple leaned into its tech strengths, using iPhones to capture high-res racing scenes, while also trying out marketing tactics like ticket discounts via Apple Pay and appearances by Pitt and CEO Tim Cook.
As one studio executive put it: “I think this is a step forward for them in terms of how they want to live in this world.”
Toss Brad Pitt into an F1 racing film and have a Top Gun director and Jerry Bruckheimer? Come on, that’s a recipe for success and Apple definitely paid for it, but now it looks like a profit will be made (Apple spent a reported $250 million on F1). Get ready for F1 to hit Apple TV+ after its theatrical run. Have you seen F1 yet? What did you think of it?
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I saw this in IMAX, which was spectacular. Pitt has a few scenes where his delivery is very stilted and he seems to be capable of only 1 pained facial expression throughout. I think if you ran Top Gun: Maverick alongside F1, there’d be a lot of parallel scenes as their storylines hit on many of the same beats. Overall, it is a fun movie to watch, a worthy summer blockbuster, with very high quality filmmaking techniques on display.
I had no idea this was an Apple movie, impressive!