After years of splashy investments and limited payoff, Apple may have finally found the theatrical breakthrough it’s been chasing — specifically, thanks to Brad Pitt, director Joseph Kosinski, and a screaming Formula One engine.
F1, the new Apple Original Films Formula 1 racing drama, is debuting in wide release this weekend with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and early audience praise is already effusive. One viewer called it the “best experience I’ve had in theatres in 2025.” Another raved: “I just got out of the theater and I’m still buzzing… the sound design, the camera work, the way the racing scenes were shot—absolutely insane.” The kind of visceral approval, in other words, that’s been missing from other recent Apple theatrical releases like Argylle, Napoleon, and Fly Me to the Moon.
All of those previous titles failed to connect widely, despite star power and sizable budgets. This time, Apple pulled out all the stops — and early signs suggest it might actually pay off.
A high-stakes bet on F1
F1 is easily one of Apple’s most ambitious swings since getting into the original TV and movie entertainment game in late 2019. When the drama was first making the rounds in Hollywood, nearly every major studio reportedly wanted in. Apple outbid them all, locking down the project with a $250 million commitment — far more than the conventional wisdom thought a racing drama about a past-his-prime driver was worth. Pitt also secured a payday well above his typical $20 million fee, along with a cut of the profits.
Critics and fans alike, meanwhile, are saying this one finally hits the mark. Directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, F1 was designed for big-screen thrills, shot with custom cameras for IMAX, and heavily promoted at Apple’s own developer conference. Even CEO Tim Cook got in on the action, appearing with Pitt and producer Lewis Hamilton to hype the film — the sort of hyping you typically see Apple’s chief executive doing for new iPhones.
Apple’s Hollywood growing pains
Since entering Hollywood in 2019, Apple has poured billions into prestige films with big-name talent, but none have really broken through at the box office. And Apple has flat-out refused to touch older third-party libraries for licensing, which doesn’t leave much choice than to bet the farm on expensive originals and lean on outside studios. Critics are sometimes happy with Apple’s theatrical product, but the box office? Not so much.
Another thing worth noting about Apple’s film business: Even though Apple spends billions on original content, it doesn’t release its movies in theaters itself. Instead, it relies on partners like Warner Bros., which is handling the marketing and release of F1 around the world. That saves Apple money, but it also means less control. And with Warner putting out Superman just two weeks later, its focus is obviously about to shift.
Can F1 finally put Apple in the winner’s circle?
All that said, the buzz around F1 feels different from prior Apple theatrical releases. It’s immersive, cinematic, and crowd-pleasing, exactly the kind of movie Apple has long wanted to make. “Historically, racing dramas like Grand Prix, Rush, Le Mans, haven’t done that well at the box office. Ford v Ferrari was one notable exception,” Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian told TheWrap. “But F1 sits alone on a mountaintop in terms of the commercial factor in terms of the talent involved and the sheer level of spectacle being offered.”
The strong reviews might push the movie’s opening weekend haul close to $60 million, which would clearly count as a win. Time will tell, however, if the movie does well enough for Apple to want to stay in the theatrical game, or if this is the beginning of a shift to streaming only.
The company got into this in the first place, Cook recently told Variety, “to tell great stories, and we want it to be a great business as well.”
