Brad Pitt returns to the track: “F1: The Movie” speeds to the top of the box office

The roar of the engines and Brad Pitt’s star power conquered the box office this weekend with the release of “F1: The Movie”, which grossed 55.6 million dollars in the United States and Canada, and 144 million worldwide, according to estimates published by Comscore and reported by international news agencies such as Associated Press and Reuters.

This is the biggest box office success for Apple to date.

The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski —who is also responsible for “Top Gun: Maverick”—, combines the adrenaline of Formula 1 with a story of redemption. According to Reuters, Pitt plays a veteran driver who returns to the tracks after a near-fatal accident, accompanied by Damson Idris and Kerry Condon, while world champion Lewis Hamilton participates as a producer.

With a budget of over 200 million dollars, according to Variety cited by the Associated Press, “F1” marks Apple’s first major bet to conquer the summer box office, usually dominated by franchises like “Jurassic World” or “Fast & Furious”. The latter, unlike “F1”, moved away from racing to include espionage and action in its most recent installments.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, the success of “F1” reflects “a perfectly coordinated team effort, like a pit crew in a race,” which allowed the film to be launched “from the starting line with great success.”

Part of its performance is attributed to the growing popularity of Formula 1 in the United States, driven by the Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive.” In addition, Apple and Warner Bros. launched an aggressive marketing campaign, which included promotion during CEO Tim Cook’s annual conference and discounts for iPhone users, as explained by the Associated Press.

The top 5 box office in North America

1. F1: The Movie - $55.6 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

Although the movie still needs to raise more money to cover its million-dollar investment, analysts project that, thanks to its excellent reviews and the “A” rating given by CinemaScore, it could remain strong at the box office, even against the anticipated release of “Jurassic World Rebirth” in the upcoming weeks.

For Apple, this success represents not only an economic triumph, but a key step towards its goal of positioning itself as a significant player in the film industry, beyond streaming screens.