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Is F1 movie a hit or flop? As Brad Pitt's racing drama crosses $300 million, we decode its box office performance
Brad Pitt's F1 has minted considerable money at the box office, grossing $301 million worldwide.
Brad Pitt has raced his way to the biggest box office haul of his career with Joseph Kosinski's F1. The racing drama has collected $300 million worldwide, as of July 7. This includes a record $112 million in North America alone. The film has also been the highest-grosser for Apple. But is it a hit already? Given the film's high budget and extensive marketing, this question begs to be answered.
F1 box office collection
F1 tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One driver in his 50s, who returns to the sport to help a friend and his struggling team. The film also stars Damon Idris, Javier Bardem, and Kerry Condon, and includes cameos from several real F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso. Praised for its cinematography, thrills, and racing realism, F1 had a solid start at the box office. As of July 7, F1 has earned $112 million in the US and $189 million overseas, giving it a worldwide haul of $301 million. It was the 10th highest-grossing film of 2025 till Jurassic World: Rebirth knocked it out of the top 10 on Monday.
Is F1 a hit yet?
Yet, despite the high box office collections, F1 cannot yet be called a clean hit. The reason is its high landing cost, and consequently, a very high break-even point. The production budget for F1 is reported to be in the $200-300 million range, with most reports agreeing that it is somewhere around $250 million. The cost is high as the makers had to film during real F1 weekends and had limited 15-minute windows to film most of the shots on track. Apple also spent $100 million on the marketing and publicity of the film. As per reports, the actual marketing cost is high, but much of it is offset by companies paying to be on the jerseys and cars of Brad Pitt and Damon Idris' characters in the film. This $350-million landing cost gives F1 a break-even point of around $600 million. This is because the ticket sales are divided between exhibitors and studios almost evenly, and Apple would have so far received only around $150-170 million.
Can F1 get to its break-even point?
Just to be able to recover its investments through ticket sales, the Brad Pitt film needs to double its current haul. That is a big mountain to climb for F1. On Monday, its ninth day in theatres, the film earned $3.4 million in the domestic market, and just over $10 million worldwide. That number will steadily decline in the days to come. With big releases like Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps lined up this month, F1 will lose many screens worldwide, further diminishing its returns. In short, F1 will not be a loss-making entity for Apple. Through merchandise and the sale of digital and music rights, it will recover its investments. But in terms of box office performance alone, only a miracle can make it a clean hit.
