Brad Pitt just did something that even Fight Club‘s Tyler Durden would call impressive. Apple Original Films’ F1: The Movie has crossed the $600 million mark at the global box office, making it not only Apple’s biggest original hit to date but also the highest-grossing film of Pitt’s career (even bigger than World War Z).
Released just two months ago, F1 has sped past $603 million worldwide, with $185 million from U.S. audiences and another $407 million from international markets. China leads the charge with a massive $57 million haul, followed by the UK ($29M), France ($24M), and Germany ($16M). The film’s IMAX run has also added a cool $84.7M, proving people still want to see Brad Pitt in larger-than-life form (per Deadline).
What makes this win so surprising is Apple’s track record. Before F1: The Movie, the studio had invested hundreds of millions into prestige projects that never quite crossed the finish line. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of The Flower Moon ($158.7M) and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon ($221.3M) both looked good on paper but struggled at the box office. With F1, Apple wisely partnered with Warner Bros. for a proper wide release, and audiences finally showed up.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, F1 stars Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a washed-up Formula 1 driver making a dramatic comeback after a career-ending accident in the ’90s. His mission is to save the struggling APXGP team while mentoring rising star Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem round out the cast, adding some award-season credibility to all the high-speed drama.
The film isn’t just a box office juggernaut, though. It’s also the highest-grossing motorsport movie of all time. That’s no small feat in a year dominated by sequels, remakes, and superheroes. In fact, F1: The Movie is the only “original” film to crack the global top 10, sitting right between James Gunn’s Superman and Tom Cruise’s swan song Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Budget reports vary, but Apple is said to have spent between $200–250 million on production, plus marketing. That puts the film well into profit territory, a refreshing change for the streamer after a string of expensive misfires.
The success has also fueled some playful speculation from Kosinski himself. The director has teased a potential crossover between Pitt’s Sonny Hayes and Tom Cruise’s Cole Trickle from Days of Thunder. Imagine that! It would be both a spiritual sequel and a sneaky Interview With the Vampire reunion for Pitt and Cruise. But will it actually happen? Well, that depends on whether audiences want more helmet hair and pit lane drama.
Apple isn’t slowing down either. Kosinski is already working with the studio on a UFO thriller, and Universal has tapped him for a new Miami Vice film written by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler). Oh, and Top Gun 3 is waiting in the hangar, too.
For now, though, Brad Pitt and Apple have a very big trophy to polish. F1: The Movie is a hit. After years of box office struggles, Apple finally has a movie that audiences can’t stop watching, both in theaters and now on streaming, where it landed on Apple TV and digital platforms on August 22.
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