Apple really, really wants you to go see its ‘F1’ movie

An iPhone notification. A surprise Brad Pitt appearance at an Apple store. A fancy trailer that makes your iPhone rumble.

Apple is going all out for its big-budget “F1” movie.

If you own an iPhone or visited one of the company’s retail stores recently, you’ve likely noticed the promotional push as the Apple synergy machine kicked into gear.

Apple has pulled many of its levers across various channels to drum up excitement for its latest original film, “F1: The Movie,” which arrived in theaters Friday.

It’s a marketing flex that few companies aside from Apple are capable of, since they don’t have the massive built-in install base of the iPhone.

Apple’s strategy of continuing to make big-budget movies has some, including Business Insider’s Peter Kafka, scratching their heads.

The tech giant’s marketing push around “F1,” though, makes sense — Apple’s got skin in the game for this movie.

Not all of Apple’s marketing tactics have gone smoothly, though.

On Tuesday, some iPhone users took to social media to complain about a notification on their home screen that turned out to be an ad sent from the Wallet app tied to the movie. The promo offered $10 off two tickets to see “F1” when you purchase from Fandango using Apple Pay.

Sure, you could easily dismiss the notification and move on with your day, but some compared it to Apple’s free U2 album that it added to iPhone users’ libraries.

There have also been some pretty creative marketing efforts.

If you have an iPhone, you can watch a special version of the “F1” trailer in the AppleTV app that activates the phone’s haptic engines (basically fancy vibrations), so that your device rumbles along with the vehicles’ engines. (You’ll also be encouraged to buy tickets when you open the app.)

And for even more immersion, Apple’s Maps app allows you to virtually check out the famous tracks where “F1” was filmed.

Then there was Apple’s big annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which took place in the weeks leading up to the movie’s release. Its Formula 1-themed intro featured Apple exec Craig Federighi driving laps on top of Apple’s “spaceship” HQ.

At one point, Tim Cook looks right at the camera and says, “Yes, F1, baby.”

In May, actor Damson Idris, who stars in the movie alongside Brad Pitt, walked the carpet of the Met Gala in an F1 driver’s uniform and helmet before unveiling a suit underneath. He held on to his helmet as an accessory.

Exactly how much Apple invested to make “F1” a reality isn’t clear. Initial reports said that the movie cost around $300 million to make (not counting its marketing budget). However, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski said that wasn’t the case in an interview with Deadline last year. In reality, Bruckheimer said, the estimate was “tens of millions of dollars out of whack.”

“We can’t give you a number because that’s Apple’s money and they can talk about it,” Bruckheimer said. “But what I think you can say is it’s quite a bit lower than what’s been reported.” Apple did not immediately respond to a Business Insider’s request for comment on the budget.

Some of Apple’s investments in movies have proven success in the past. AppleTV+ made a name for itself in the film industry with “CODA,” a 2021 coming-of-age movie that went on to win Best Picture at the 2022 Academy Awards, making it the first film released by a streamer to win the top award at the Oscars.

On June 15, people attending a panel discussion for another AppleTV+ offering, “Severance,” were surprised when Brad Pitt came out to promote “F1.”

Tim Cook was there too, and he made sure to mention that the movie included footage filmed using the same camera technology you can buy in the latest iPhones.

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