NEW YORK (AP) – Apple has achieved its first box-office success with the debut of F1 The Movie, which amassed $55.6 million in North America and $144 million worldwide over the past weekend. This impressive opening marks the company's largest box-office launch to date through Apple Original Films.
Although Apple has released several noteworthy films during its six years in Hollywood, including the Oscar-winning CODA, its theatrical results have been uneven. The company has seen a mixed reception with projects like Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon, while more prestigious releases such as Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott, and Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, have proven more effective in attracting viewers to Apple TV+ than to theaters.
F1 The Movie signifies Apple's first venture into the realm of summer blockbusters. The company secured the production rights after a competitive bidding process, largely due to the involvement of the team behind the successful Top Gun: Maverick. The film features prominent actors, including Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and Kerry Condon, and was co-distributed with Warner Bros. With a production budget exceeding $200 million, F1 still has a considerable distance to cover to become profitable, but the initial reception is promising.
Experts are enthusiastic about the film's robust overperformance, attributed to a successful marketing campaign and the capitalizing on the existing Formula 1 fanbase cultivated by the popular series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, stated, “F1 The Movie puts the pedal to the metal in an impressive overperformance for this original summer movie.” The film’s marketing was extensive and engaging, delivering returns at the box office.
Previously, car racing films have typically performed poorly at the box office, with examples like Ron Howard’s Rush (2013) and Michael Mann’s Ferrari (2023) not achieving significant commercial success. However, F1 seems to have appealed to the adrenaline-seeking audience through the collaboration of the Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The film notably utilized IMAX technology, which accounted for 55% of its ticket sales.
The positive reviews for F1 and an 'A' rating via CinemaScore indicate that audiences are responding favorably, enhancing expectations for its longevity at the box office in light of upcoming competition, including Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth.
In contrast to F1’s success, Universal’s M3gan 2.0 fell short of expectations, opening at $10.2 million, significantly below the original film’s debut. Meanwhile, the animated hit How to Train Your Dragon secured second place with $19.4 million, while Pixar’s Elio continued its disappointing performance with $10.7 million in its second weekend.
The box-office rankings for the weekend, based on estimated sales according to Comscore, are as follows: 1. F1 The Movie ($55 million), 2. How to Train Your Dragon ($19.4 million), 3. Elio ($10.7 million), 4. M3gan 2.0 ($10.2 million), 5. 28 Years Later ($9.7 million), 6. Lilo & Stitch ($6.9 million), 7. Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning ($4.2 million), 8. Materialists ($3 million), 9. Ballerina ($2.1 million), and 10. Karate Kid: Legends ($1 million).
