You didn’t miss your opportunity to see Apple’s blockbuster racing flick F1: The Movie in Imax. The movie starring Brad Pitt returns to the giant theater screens Friday, and should arrive on even more of them next week.
The film blends blazing-fast cars on the racetrack with clashing personalities off the track. Pitt plays an aging racer trying to prove he still has what it takes to be a Formula One driver, with the action playing out at 230 mph.
F1: Apple’s first blockbuster movie
Apple negotiated for months to ink a deal for the rights to the blockbuster, which is distributed in theaters by Warner Bros. Now that risk is paying off. The film garnered more than $550 million in the six weeks it’s been in theaters, according to Apple. That makes it not only Apple’s first blockbuster, but also Pitt’s highest-grossing feature to date.
Previously, Apple’s best performers were Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which took in $221 million worldwide, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which took in $158 million. Apple Original Films released a couple of flops in 2024: Argylle took in just $96 million while Fly Me to the Moon earned a mere $42 million in ticket sales, according to Variety.
Some other productions were expected to do so poorly that they never reached theaters. There’s no better example than Wolfs starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Last summer, it went straight to the Apple TV+ streaming service after Apple decided at the last minute not to put the film in theaters. The movie didn’t make a big splash.
To be clear, some Apple productions have earned plenty of awards. CODA got the Best Picture Oscar (and plenty more), for example, but took in a minuscule $2 million at the box office.
Apple took a risk on F1, but it’s a safe bet for theatergoers. The film has an 82% critics’ approval rating on the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, and 97% audience approval.
Brad Pitt brings blazing-fast racing action in F1
In the F1 movie, Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, who was a Formula One driver in the 1990s before his career got sidelined after a crash, earning him the nickname “the greatest that never was.” Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (played by Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula One team. Sonny gets hired to save the team … and take another shot at being the best in the world.
But there’s more to winning in Formula One than driving. Sonny faces off against the team’s hotshot rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The competition between the two is the centerpiece of F1.
The film is visually stunning, especially as it was filmed during actual races and is “immersed in the exhilarating and cinematic world of F1,” according to Warner Bros. In a way, it’s art imitating life. The movie’s plot mirrors real life in that it gave Pitt, at 61 years old, a chance to prove that he still has what it takes to headline a major success.
Apple’s F1 movie now back in Imax theaters
F1 hit theaters on Friday, June 27. As of August 8, that once again includes Imax theaters. Plus, Apple says it plans to expand further into Imax locations and other large-format theaters worldwide on August 15.
The action will surely reach the Apple TV+ streaming service in a few months. That said, much of the excitement of the racing sequences will be lost on a small screen. This seems the sort of movie that needs a giant theater screen to fully appreciate. Maybe even Imax.
