After earning more than $629 million at the global box office this summer, the racing flick F1: The Movie finally zoomed from theaters to living rooms, reaching the Apple TV streaming service on Friday.
The film blends blazing-fast cars on the racetrack with clashing personalities off the track. Brad Pitt stars as 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.
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.
Apple’s biggest hit film ever
In a way, F1 is 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.
And he did — $629 million in box office receipts makes the film the biggest Apple has ever released. In second place sits Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which took in $221 million worldwide. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon earned $158 million.
Plus, the film is more than a financial success. Last week, it earned multiple Golden Globe nominations.
How to watch F1: The Movie
Taking in all the action of F1: The Movie comes with a subscription to Apple TV. The service is $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
And Apple’s streaming video service also includes a library of sci-fi, drama, comedies, musicals, children’s shows, etc.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
