Brad Pitt's F1 Beats Napoleon To Become Apple's Top-Earning Film So Far

News18

08-07-2025

Last Updated:
Brad Pitt's role in F1 created buzz before its release, but it was the strong word of mouth after the release that really helped the movie gain popularity.
Brad Pitt's new movie, F1, has quickly become Apple's biggest hit at the box office. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula One driver who returns to racing and guides a young racer while helping his friend's team to make a comeback.
The movie's thrilling IMAX sequence and fast-paced action have made it a thrilling experience for fans and newcomers to the sport. Pitt's role and the director's reputation created buzz before its release, but it was the strong word of mouth after the release that really helped the movie gain popularity.
According to Variety, just 10 days after hitting theatres, the movie has already broken records, as it has earned $293 million at the global box office. The collection has made it the highest-earning movie ever released by Apple. It has now passed the previous top performers like the Killers of the Flower Moon, which made $158 million and Napoleon, which earned $221 million. Both were big projects by well-known directors, strong casts. Still, F1 has managed to go ahead and set a new milestone for the tech giant.
Even though F1 has outperformed Apple's earlier theatrical releases, it still has a long way to go before covering its total budget. Reports suggest that the production alone went above $250 million and another $100 million was spent on marketing. With such a large budget, the film still needs to earn much more to recover its production costs. So, while the start has been strong, the race isn't over yet for the Brad Pitt-starrer.
As per reports, 'There was a growing internal sense that if a crowd-pleaser like F1 didn't work on the big screen, Apple would be better off abandoning the movie business in favour of television. After all, the company has fielded plenty of small screen successes on AppleTV+ including Severance and Ted Lasso."
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the F1 movie also stars Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia and Samson Kayo.
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