Apple Original Films just had its biggest theatrical debut ever, with F1 The Movie.The movie reportedly had a budget of $300 million, which puts it in the same territory as and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.But how big must the premiere box office be to count as a blockbuster in 2025? We did the math.
Unlike these mega-franchises, F1 is trying to launch a new movie IP, and it’s doing so with a tech company behind the wheel.Or is it Apple who is trying to leverage the F1 IP to establish itself as a serious player in entertainment? Either way, it’s a tall order.Starring Brad Pitt and produced by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, F1 is Apple’s most expensive movie to date.
For context, Killers of the Flower Moon comes in second, with a reported budget of $215 million.How well does F1 need to perform to be considered a box office success? To break even, per Matt Damon’s famous explainer on Hot Ones, a movie like F1 typically needs to make 2 times its production marketing budget at the global box office.That puts Apple’s finish line well, well above the $600 million mark, since it is currently unknown what size a fortune Apple clearly spent on marketing.
But how about the US weekend premiere, which is usually a litmus test for how well a movie might do worldwide and in the following weeks? Here’s a quick look at the top 10 biggest opening weekends of 2025 so far in the U.S., to give a sense of what F1 is up against: A Minecraft Movie $162.7M Lilo & Stitch $146.0M Captain America: Brave New World $88.8M How to Train Your Dragon $84.6M Thunderbolts $74.3M Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning $64.0M Final Destination Bloodlines $51.6M Sinners $48.0M Snow White $42.2M Dog Man $36.0M To break into that top tier (which predicts it may just do), F1 will need more than just the appeal of Formula 1 fans or a recognizable lead.It’ll need broad mainstream appeal, which is why Apple went through great lengths to hype up the movie any way it could.And so far, the plan seems to be working: 9to5Mac’s take In the end, to say Apple did all it could to promote the movie up, down, and all across the globe is an understatement.
And while this undertaking has shown that Apple is willing to spend like a studio, now it’s the box office’s turn to tell whether it can earn like one.F1 The Movie opens in U.S.theaters and IMAX nationwide today.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, The Morning Show, Shrinking and Silo.Do you plan on watching F1 this opening weekend? Let us know in the comments.Best accessory deals on Amazon Anker 25,000mAh power bank, 100W, USB-C: 19% off, at $109.98 Anker Foldable 3-in-1 wireless charger, 15W, Qi2: 20% off, at $71.99 AirPods Pro 2: 20% off, at $199.00 AirTag, 4 Pack: 24% off, at $74.99 HomeKit Smart Plug, 15A, 4 Pack: 20% off, at $34.99 You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.
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