All Eyes On F1 As Apple Takes Pole Position For Summer
With a reported $300 million budget, F1 needs a strong opening.
It's Thursday, June 26th. Here's what's happening.
🍿 Today's Take
With the Fourth of July approaching, the summer movie season is shifting into high gear. Apple’s F1, a high-profile racing drama starring Brad Pitt and distributed by Warner Bros., opens nationwide tomorrow. It checks all the summer-blockbuster boxes: major star power, big-screen IMAX action, and at least for now, a relatively open lane at the box office.
But expectations are high. With a reported $300 million budget, F1 needs a strong opening to justify its scale, especially with Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Superman arriving over the next two weekends. The window for theatrical success is getting tighter, as audiences grow more comfortable waiting for films to hit streaming. For event films, the margin for error is shrinking.
Still, Apple has a different calculus. While a box office hit would certainly help, F1 is also a strategic play for Apple TV+. Even if the film breaks even theatrically, it adds a marquee title to a streaming service that’s still finding its place in a crowded market. Apple’s broader streaming strategy remains unclear, but investing in high-end, global content aligns with its long game.
Whether F1 wins the weekend or not, it’s part of a bigger bet: that premium star power still matters, even if the payoff comes later.
🎥 Interesting Asides
Neon has purchased Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice for North American distribution. (TheWrap)
New James Bond director Denis Villeneuve spent years attaching his name to the franchise. It paid off. (Deadline)
We have finally joined the social media platform X. If you're on it too, please follow us, it's a great way to keep up with our analysis. (X)
A sequel to the live-action hit Lilo & Stitch is already in the works at Disney. (Empire)
Speaking of social media apps, Letterboxd continues to grow, approaching 17 million users. Yes, we're on there, too! (Independent)
📈 Movie Stock Index
Market Close: Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Total Value: $108,361.68
Today's Change: $2,034.30 (1.91%)
Total Gain/Loss (Since 05/12/25): $8,361.66 (8.36%)
Outstanding day for the Movie Stock Index, with the group closing up (1.9%). Only Apple (-0.28%) and Lionsgate (-0.52%) closed down. Horror studio slash film tech streaming company Cineverse (5.03%) led the way to the positive, with fellow streaming powerhouse Roku (3.43%) close behind.
Disclaimer: The MovieNewsPro Stock Index is a virtual index - there are no actual funds invested. Sector index total value dollar amounts are based on an initial hypothetical investment of $100,000 on May 12th, 2025. MovieNewsPro and/or its publisher may own stock or have interest in the companies mentioned. We are not licensed investment advisors and our information should not be used as investment advice. Invest wisely.
🏆 Film Festivals
Doc Edge Film Festival, New Zealand - June 18-July 31
Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, US - June 18-28
Brussels International Film Festival, Belgium - June 20-28
Mediterrane Film Festival, Malta - June 21-29
Biarritz Film Festival Nouvelles Vagues, France - June 24-29
Docs Ireland, Ireland - June 24-29
Palm Springs ShortFest, US - June 24-30
Nantucket Film Festival, US - June 25-30
Oak Cliff Film Festival, US - June 26-29
FilmFest Munich, Germany - June 27-July 6
📺 Watch This Tonight
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Remarkably constrained (for a Yorgos Lanthimos film), yet just as strange as you would expect. Remarkable performances from Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan.
Follow Us On Social Media: Letterboxd | Bluesky | X | LinkedIn
Disclaimer/Transparency
MovieNewsPro is a film industry news monitoring service. All stories have been previously reported elsewhere and are not exclusive stories to MNP. All information is believed to be accurate at the time of reporting. MovieNewsPro uses a full array of technology to gather information, including machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence throughout its business monitoring, editing and reporting process.
