Apple outspent every rival studio to lock down Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie, paying about $130–140 million in 2022 just for the rights package and then bankrolling an estimated $200–250 million production budget, the richest single outlay in Apple Original Films’ brief history.
Warner Bros. is handling the theatrical rollout under a 2024 partnership that leaves Apple holding the keys to the eventual Apple TV+ streaming window, giving the company a rare shot at both box-office and subscriber revenue in one smooth overtake.
The stakes are high because Apple has largely trained viewers to expect day-one streaming debuts; F1 is the first movie since Napoleon that it believes must be seen on an IMAX screen before it lands on a couch. Marketing has been equally un-Apple-like: alongside traditional TV spots, the company pushed a haptic trailer that makes iPhones vibrate in sync with revving engines, turning the film itself into a live demo of Apple hardware.
Early Reviews Suggest the Bet May Pay Off
Critics’ embargoes lifted yesterday, and F1 opened with an 83 percent “Fresh” score from 52 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, praise centering on Joseph Kosinski’s practical race footage and Pitt’s world-weary charm. Collider calls it “an absolute blast,” while Rolling Stone says it “recaptures what blockbusters used to feel like.” This is exactly the positioning Apple hoped for when it poured cash into on-track filming during real Grand Prix weekends.
Industry trackers are forecasting a $35–40 million U.S. opening weekend, healthy for a sports drama and enough to keep Apple on pace for breakeven once overseas receipts and the later streaming bump are counted.
Whether the movie ultimately becomes a franchise starter or an expensive one-off, the next two weeks will show if Apple can convert a lavish theatrical showcase into the kind of cultural moment that drives both ticket sales and Apple TV+ subscriptions. If the box-office finish matches the early critical speed, Apple’s most audacious Hollywood project yet will have cleared its first corner without so much as a wheel wobble.