Apple Original Films’ critically acclaimed Formula One movie, starring Brad Pitt, has taken the racing world by storm with an impressive opening weekend haul. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film earned $25 million from 3,661 theaters in North America, beating expectations and setting a strong stage for its global debut.
The movie’s success is largely due to its unique selling point – a lock on Imax screens for three weeks, as well as playing in premium large-format screens like Dolby Cinema. A staggering 58% of ticket sales were from these premium auditoriums, indicating the film’s high-quality visuals and immersive experience are resonating with audiences.
With a production budget of at least $200 million, F1 will need to maintain its momentum in the coming weeks to recoup its investment. The movie boasts near-perfect exit poll stats and an A CinemaScore score, suggesting it has broad appeal beyond just racing enthusiasts.
The film’s success marks a significant milestone for Apple Original Films, which aims to establish itself as a major player in the theatrical market. F1: The Movie will undoubtedly give Pitt a boost in his career, surpassing World War Z’s $112 million worldwide launch.
In contrast, Universal’s horror sequel M3GAN 2.0 underperformed, earning only $10.3 million with a projected opening that was significantly lower than forecasted. Despite its modest budget of $25 million, the film failed to capture the attention of its target audience, skewing towards older men rather than the younger women it aimed to attract.
Other releases, such as Pixar’s Elio and Sony’s 28 Years Later, are struggling in their second weekends, with significant declines in box office earnings. Meanwhile, How to Train Your Dragon continues to hold strong in second place, but its trajectory is uncertain due to a troubled production history.
With F1: The Movie setting the bar high for summer blockbusters, it will be interesting to see how Apple Original Films follows up on this success and whether other studios can keep pace with the film’s impressive opening weekend.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/brad-pitt-f1-fire-up-box-office-m3gan-2-1236301336