Apple’s ‘F1’ becomes its first summer blockbuster, marking a turning point in Hollywood ambitions

Apple’s ‘F1’ becomes its first summer blockbuster, marking a turning point in Hollywood ambitions

Apple has officially joined blockbuster club. The technology giant's Formula 1-branded film F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, has grossed more than $200 million at the global box office since it opened on June 27 and is set to pass over $300 million this weekend. To Apple, however, it's not just a commercial hit—it's a strategic marker on its way to being taken seriously in Hollywood, the Financial Times reported.

This is a film that will play and play and play," declared Warner Bros.' Jeff Goldstein, whose company co-brokered the film with Apple. It's Pitt's best opening weekend in his near-four-decade career, and Apple's largest box office hit to date.

From Oscar success to mass breakthrough

Apple made waves in 2022 when its film CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first streamer in history to win that honour. But F1 is a different kind of success—a success not measured in prestige, but profit. The film's production cost was more than $200 million, and another $50 million to promote and distribute it. For the first time, Apple can make a profit on a big-budget theatrical release.

The company will add to its top line by releasing F1 as a standalone premium video-on-demand title before making it available to Apple TV+ subscribers. That offer, combined with strong global box office sales, would make F1 the first tentpole of Apple's that is commercially profitable.

A comeback after costly flops

F1's triumph follows a series of expensive, underperforming releases that put Apple's role in the entertainment industry in doubt. Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, while positively received by critics, financially fell short. Big-budget risks like Napoleon and Argylle also failed to recoup their cost.

Apple, which had long been regarded as a technology newcomer in Hollywood, had previously been faulted for having a bare-bones promotional presence and relatively light release calendar. But not its summer campaign this year. The firm used old-fashioned marketing tactics—public sit-down interviews with CEO Tim Cook, celebrity appearances, and Apple Pay promotion of tickets—coupled with its hallmark technological advancements, including iPhone-based camerawork in real race cars.

Franchise potential and future releases

A hit with F1 can be followed by sequels, spin-offs, and Apple's first internally produced movie franchise. The production paired blockbuster warhorses: producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Pirates of the Caribbean) and director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), showing Apple was not afraid to play at the top of the Hollywood food chain.

Production was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which meant costs escalated. But Apple was steadfast, filming on location at sweeping UK, US, and Abu Dhabi racecourses, helping to lend the film credibility—and now, a loyal following.

The firm is currently speeding up future productions. Among those are Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, which will be released in August theatres, and Matchbox, a live-action movie based on Mattel toy cars and starring WWE Superstar John Cena. Apple is additionally developing Mayday with Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, as well as a second untitled Bruckheimer-Kosinski project.

A turning point for Apple TV+

While Apple TV+ has already been avant-garde in its pursuit of prestige content, F1 represents a move toward the "elevated mainstream"—movies that can compete with big-studio fare but maintain Apple's upscale look and feel. The move may also drive Apple TV+ subscriptions as audiences seek to watch the movie again after theatres have shown it.

[F1] really makes sense of what Apple's doing," producer Kevin Walsh, who has produced several Apple movies, said. "They're in the business to be around and are willing to open it up."

With F1, Apple has maybe finally unlocked the formula that allows its tech-infused culture to thrive in Hollywood: pair cinematic ambition with distribution savvy, pair prestige with broad popularity—and spare no spectacle.