Brad Pitt’s F1 Movie Delivers Apple’s First Major Box Office Hit

Apple Original Films has achieved its first major summer blockbuster success with “F1 the Movie,” which earned $144 million globally and $55.6 million domestically during its opening weekend, according to Comscore data.

The Brad Pitt-starring Formula One drama outperformed other highly anticipated releases, including the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” remake and “28 Years Later,” the third instalment in the post-apocalyptic horror franchise.

The action-drama follows Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes, a veteran driver recruited to mentor an emerging Formula One talent.

With production and marketing costs reportedly reaching $300 million, the film represented a significant financial gamble for Apple’s streaming division, which has struggled with previous theatrical releases, including the disappointing opening weekends of “Argylle” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Apple’s calculated risk appears to have paid off, as the opening weekend numbers shattered the company’s previous box office records.

Industry analysts project the film will maintain strong momentum in subsequent weeks, potentially establishing Apple as a serious competitor in the theatrical release market alongside traditional studios.

The success comes at a crucial time for Apple Original Films, which has invested heavily in original content to compete with established streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+.

Previous Apple productions have generally performed better on the company’s streaming service than in theatres, making “F1 the Movie” a notable departure from that pattern.

However, Apple may have created some user friction through its aggressive marketing approach.

The company faced criticism for inserting advertisements for “F1 the Movie” directly into its Wallet app, a move that some users viewed as intrusive and inappropriate for a utility application typically used for payment and ticketing functions.

The film’s success validates Apple’s strategy of investing in high-profile talent and big-budget productions, though the company will need to demonstrate whether this represents a sustainable model or a one-time breakthrough.

With the substantial production costs, “F1 the Movie” will likely need to maintain strong performance over several weeks to achieve profitability, even with the promising opening weekend numbers.