Apple’s expensive “F1: The Movie” arrived to strong if not quite spectacular ticket sales over the weekend.
The movie, made by Apple Original Films and starring Brad Pitt as a down-on-his-luck Formula 1 driver, took in roughly $55.6 million from Thursday through Sunday at 3,661 theaters in North America, according to Comscore, which compiles box office data. Turnout was especially big at IMAX locations, where tickets sell for a premium.
The well-reviewed sports movie led the weekend box office derby in North America, giving Apple a much-needed win in theaters after several misfires, including “Argylle” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” Last year, Apple canceled the wide release of “Wolfs” at the relative last minute, debuting it instead on the Apple TV+ streaming service.
“Apple finally has a big theatrical hit,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a leading newsletter on box office numbers. “A lot about this movie looks easy, like a surefire hit, but it’s not. Racecar films and sports dramas have a long and mixed track record.”
“F1” collected an additional $88.4 million overseas, where it played in about 32,400 theaters. Warner Bros. distributed “F1” on behalf of Apple, which used Apple stores, Apple Music, the Apple Maps app and its annual developer conference to promote the film. The marketing campaign was aggressive even by Hollywood standards: Apple also used its Apple Pay system to notify iPhone users about “F1” and offer a $10 discount at Fandango for anyone buying two or more tickets.
Apple’s entertainment programming is overseen by Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg. “We’re thrilled by the global response to ‘F1’ and grateful to the audiences who’ve embraced the film with such enthusiasm,” Mr. Erlicht said in a statement. Mr. Van Amburg called the debut “outstanding” and gave shout-outs to the filmmaking team, which included Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 champion.
The catch: “F1” was expensive, costing nearly $250 million to make and at least another $125 million to market worldwide, analysts said. (Some estimates are even higher.) For Apple to make money, the movie will need to attract substantial crowds in the weeks ahead, when it will face formidable competition in the form of “Jurassic World: Rebirth” and “Superman.”
Domestic ticket buyers gave “F1” an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 97 percent positive on Sunday, boding well for word-of-mouth.
Apple declined to comment on its “F1” spending. Tax incentives and roughly $40 million in product-placement fees helped defray some costs.
Car-racing movies, as Mr. Gross noted, have a mixed track record at the box office. “The Fast and the Furious,” for instance, took in $40 million over its first weekend in 2001, or about $73 million after adjusting for inflation, and started an 11-movie series. (It cost about that much to make.) But “Ford v Ferrari” was less successful in 2019, and the mid-budget “Gran Turismo” sputtered in 2023.
Warner Bros. and Apple had positioned “F1” as a land borne “Top Gun: Maverick,” which thrilled audiences in 2022 and starred Tom Cruise. Both films were directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Ehren Kruger, who wrote the “F1” screenplay, was among the “Top Gun: Maverick” writers. Mr. Cruise helped promote “F1” despite having nothing to do it, turning up at the film’s London premiere and posing with Mr. Pitt in front of a Formula 1 car.
In other box office news, “M3GAN 2.0” (Universal) debuted to a disappointing $10.2 million in domestic ticket sales from Thursday through Sunday. The first “M3GAN,” about an artificially intelligent robot, arrived to $30.4 million in 2023.
The sequel, which cost about $25 million to make, was probably hurt by weak reviews and a storytelling shift that brought science fiction and action to the forefront and downplayed horror, analysts said.
Brooks Barnes covers all things Hollywood. He joined The Times in 2007 and previously worked at The Wall Street Journal.
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