Apple's Brad Pitt-Starrer 'F1: The Movie' Sets The Pace with $10 Million In Previews, Poised For $115 Million Global Opening—M3GAN 2.0 Faces Slower Start Despite Strong Sequel Buzz
Apple's 'F1: The Movie,' starring Brad Pitt, has earned $10 million in previews and is projected for a $115 million global opening, outperforming 'M3GAN 2.0,' which is expected to open at around $20 million. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, 'F1' is distributed by Warner Bros. and has high production costs exceeding $200 million. This film is crucial for Apple as it seeks to establish itself in the theatrical market after previous disappointments. Despite Apple's financial strength, its video division has yet to turn a profit since 2017, and its stock has seen a decline this year.
Apple Inc.'s AAPL Original Films' "F1: The Movie," starring Brad Pitt, has exceeded expectations, banking $10 million in previews and is on track for a $115 million global opening, while "M3GAN 2.0" is off to a slower start.
What Happened: Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the Formula One racing drama's preview earnings include $7 million from Thursday night shows and $3 million from sneak screenings, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. WBD is distributing and promoting Apple's big summer movie, which is expected to open with at least $115 million worldwide thanks to IMAX and premium screen deals.
However, its production costs are high, exceeding $200 million before marketing expenses.
F1 is expected to easily outpace Blumhouse and Atomic Monster's "M3GAN 2.0," which brought in $1.5 million from Thursday night previews, the report said.
The Comcast Corp. CMCSA subsidiary Universal Studios' sequel is projected to open domestically with around $20 million — about $10 million less than the first M3GAN's impressive $30.4 million debut in December 2023, which included $2.75 million in preview showings.
The original film went on to make $117.7 million in North America and $226.3 million worldwide, all on a modest $12 million production budget, not accounting for inflation.
Why It's Important: F1's preview earnings have already surpassed those of “Ford v Ferrari,” the biographical racing drama set at the iconic Le Mans endurance race.
That film, featuring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, brought in $2.1 million from previews before achieving a respectable three-day North American debut of $3 million.
"F1: The Movie" marks a pivotal moment for Apple as it tries to break into the competitive theatrical market, after previous box office disappointments like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon."
Despite Apple's vast financial power — with a market value of $3 trillion and annual earnings close to $100 billion — its video arm, which covers Apple Original Films and Apple TV+, hasn't made money since it started in 2017.
Apple TV+ has also found it challenging to capture a meaningful share of the market. Although it has around 45 million subscribers, it reportedly represents under 1% of overall U.S. streaming viewing and still loses over $1 billion each year.
Price Action: According to Benzinga Pro, Apple's stock has dropped 17.54% so far this year and is down 6.08% over the last 12 months.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that Apple's shares continue to show a declining trend over the short, medium and long term. Additional performance insights can be found here.
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