"F1" movie on pole with $10 million preview haul outpacing crowded summer cinema

Brad Pitt's highly anticipated Formula 1  adventure on the big screen has had a hugely successful start with an impressive $10 million domestic preview performance. This will see the Apple Original film become the tech giant's first ever major success. 

The movie, featuring Pitt alongside the likes of Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, and Kerry Condon, earned a whopping $7.2 million on just the Thursday night, proving that there's plenty of life left in racing movies. Reports are now suggesting that it could reach a $60 million opening weekend, a figure that will certainly be calming the hearts of those who invested what's expected to be close to $200 million to produce the picture.

This strong performance is even more impressive when you compare it to the other heavyweights it currently has to compete with. How to Train Your Dragon hit cinemas on 13 June and has already established its place earning $176.6 million domestically, although this is unlikely to pose much of a threat to F1. 

28 Years Later from Danny Boyle opened 20 June to a $38.7 million domestic. But while it stars big names like Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, it's underperforming despite a small budget.

M3GAN 2.0 was released today but has so far only earned $1.5 million in Thursday previews with the industry setting their targets lower than expected for this horror sequel. 

Tim Cook and Eddy Cue at the World Premiere of F1 The Movie

Photo by: Getty Images

The preview figures look good for the movie, with high preview earnings often correlating with a high opening weekend performance. While other racing movies have found box office success a challenge - for example, 2023's Gran Turismo only saw a $44.4 million domestic total and Ford v Ferrari a modest $31.5 million - F1 looks like it could rekindle the audience's love of motorsport.

Of course, the Joseph Kosinski directed film also benefits from exclusive IMAX screening for the first three weeks and an aggressive marketing push through Formula 1 itself. But with shining reviews, it's making use of the momentum it's been gifted. And if the movie is a success, a sequel may well be on the table.

Kosinski himself has already floated the idea of a crossover sequel with Days of Thunder.

"Well, right now, it'd be Cole Trickle, who was [Cruise's] Days of Thunder character, we find out that he and Sonny Hayes have a past," he explained. "They were rivals at some point, maybe crossed paths… I heard about this epic go-kart battle on Interview with a Vampire that Brad and Tom had, and who wouldn't pay to see those two go head-to-head on the track?"

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also confirmed the possibility of a sequel if the movie saw the right levels of success.

"That's up to you," he told Australia's Today Show. "If you talk us up, a lot of people come see it, we'll figure out how to make another one."