NEW YORK (AP) β Apple has its first box-office hit.
βF1 The MovieβΒ debuted with $55.6 million in North American theaters and $144 million globally over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing the tech company easily its biggest opening yet.
Though Apple Original Films has had some notable successes in its six years in Hollywood β including the 2021Β Oscar-winner βCODAβ βΒ its theatrical results have been decidedly mixed. Misfires likeΒ βArgylleβΒ andΒ βFly Me to the MoonβΒ and big-budget awards plays likeΒ Ridley Scottβs βNapoleonβΒ andΒ Martin Scorseseβs βKillers of the Flower MoonβΒ have been better at driving viewers to Apple TV+ than movie theaters.
But βF1β was Appleβs first foray into summer blockbuster territory. It won a bidding war for the project from much of the production team behind the 2022 box-office smash βTop Gun: Maverick.β Apple then partnered with Warner Bros. to distributed the film starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris and Kerry Condon.
With a production budget over $200 million, βF1β still has several laps to go to turn a profit. But for now, βF1β is full speed ahead.
ββF1 The Movieβ puts the pedal to the metal in an impressive overperformance for this original summer movie that had one of the most comprehensive and exciting marketing blitzes in recent memory and it paid off big for the film,β said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore.
Car racing movies have often struggled in theaters; crash-and-burn cases include Ron Howardβs βRushβ (2013) andΒ Michael Mannβs βFerrariβΒ (2023). But βF1β built off of the Formula 1 fandom stirred up by the popular series βFormula 1: Drive to Survive.β And it leaned onΒ βTop Gun: Maverickβ director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry BruckheimerΒ to deliver another adult-oriented action thrill ride.
Like they did in βTop Gun: Maverick,β the filmmakers sought an adrenaline rush by placing IMAX cameras inside the cockpit in βF1.β IMAX and large-format screens accounted for 55% of in its ticket sales. IMAX, whose screens are much sought-after in the summer, has carved out a three-week run for the movie.
Reviews have been very good for βF1β and audience reaction (an βAβ via CinemaScore) was even better. That suggests βF1β could hold up well in the coming weeks despite some formidable coming competition in Universal PicturesβΒ βJurassic World Rebirth.β
UniversalβsΒ βM3gan 2.0βΒ had been expected to pose a greater challenge to βF1.β Instead, the robot doll sequel didnβt come close to matching the 2022 originalβs box-office launch.
βM3gan 2.0β collected $10.2 million in 3,112 theaters. Memes and viral videos helped propel the first βM3ganβ to a $30.4 million opening and a total haul of $180 million, all on a $12 million budget.
Still, the Blumhouse Productions horror thriller could wind up profitable. The film, written and directed by Gerald Johnstone, cost a modest $25 million to make. A spinoff titled βSoulm8teβ is scheduled for release next year.
M3gan 2.0β ended up in fourth place. The box-office leader of the last two weekends,Β βHow to Train Your Dragon,βΒ slid to second with $19.4 million. The DreamWorks Animation live-action hit from Universal Pictures has surpassed $200 million domestically in three weeks.
AfterΒ a debut that marked a new low for Pixar, the studioβs βElioβ gathered up $10.7 million in sales in its second weekend. That gives the Walt Disney Co. release a disappointing two-week start of $42.2 million.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. βF1 The Movie,β $55 million.
2. βHow to Train Your Dragon,β $19.4 million.
3. βElio,β $10.7 million.
4. βM3gan 2.0,β $10.2 million.
5. β28 Years Later,β $9.7 million.
6. βLilo & Stitch,β $6.9 million.
7. βMission: Impossible β Final Reckoning,β $4.2 million.
8. βMaterialists,β $3 million.
9. βBallerina,β $2.1 million.
10. βKarate Kid: Legends,β $1 million.
