During the publicity tour forF1, it was revealed by directorJoseph KosinskithatBrad PittandTom Cruisewere circlingFord v Ferraribefore it evolved into the movie that finally made it to the big screens. Directed byJames Mangold, the racing drama eventually featuredMatt DamonandChristian Balein the titular roles, while Pitt and Cruise satisfied their need for speed withF1andTop Gun: Maverick, respectively. Both films were directed by Kosinski, who has established himself as one of Hollywood’s foremost directors of big-budget spectacles. And less than a week into its theatrical run,F1has already overtaken one of Cruise’s most memorable hits:Days of Thunder.
Designed as a far less airborne retread of the originalTop Gun,Days of Thunderunited that film’s core trio of Cruise, directorTony Scott, and producerJerry Bruckheimer. However, it failed to live up toTop Gun’s high standards, grossing $157 million at the worldwide box office, against a reported budget of $60 million. It scored a 38% rating onRotten Tomatoes. By comparison,Top Gunmade $357 million globally against a reported budget of $15 million four years prior. After five days of release,F1has grossed $166 million at the global box office, although it’s still a long way away from the finish line.
Themovie cost a reported $300 million to produce, and will probably need to gross over half-a-billion worldwide in order to break even. It probably won’t challengeTop Gun: Maverick’s phenomenal box office haul, which ended with nearly $1.5 billion in the bank. That said, it does have a chance of becoming the biggest hit of Pitt’s career. All it needs to do is overtakeWorld War Z’s $531 million lifetime global haul. This weekend,F1will comfortably cross the $250 million milestone, as it swerves past Pitt’s last theatrical release,Bullet Train.
‘F1’ Is a Crowd-Pleaser for the Ages
Cruise, however, is having some difficulties at the box office afterMaverick’s terrific performance in 2022. His last two Mission: Impossible movies are both neck-and-neck at the global box office, with around $560 million in the bank each. However, they cost a reported $700 million to produce, combined. Set in the high-stakes world of Formula One racing,F1opened topositive reviews, with Collider’sRoss Bonaimecalling itone of the greatest racing movies ever made. Audiences were extremely pleased as well, awarding it a near-perfect 97% score onRotten Tomatoes. You can watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
F1 is a sports drama that follows Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula 1 driver. After suffering a massive crash in the 1990s, Sonny is recruited by a struggling team owner to mentor and team up with a young racing prodigy named Joshua Pierce.
