The trades are starting to confirm that the price tag for Joseph Kosinski’s “F1” was indeed $300M+ and that’s partly due to delays and reshoots. The first full trailer for “F1” has just been released, and the money invested into this one shows. Much like Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” this is slick entertainment.
“F1,” which stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies, follows a Formula One driver (Pitt) coming out of retirement, who ends up mentoring a younger protégé (Idris), and taking his final stab at glory on the track as the younger driver’s teammate.
Apple is banking hard on European audiences, who are much more familiar with F1 than U.S. moviegoers, and will no doubt be fronting ticket sales for this one. However, this one won’t premiere at Cannes, and will instead have its first screening in Monaco.
Fresh off the massive success of 2022’s ‘Maverick,’ Kosinski’s latest is being produced by Apple Studios, with Warner Bros. hopping onboard as distributor, the film has set up a wide theatrical release on June 27, 2025. The deal with Warner Bros will guarantee a theatrical bow of at least 30 days, if not longer.
The film had started production in July 2023. After slight delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, in which Kosinski still managed to find a loophole to continue shooting the racing scenes, on this one only wrapped up in December 2024. That’s 16 months of production.
Before “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kosinski was mostly known for directing the Tom Cruise starring sci-fi film “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy” and “Only the Brave.” He’s brought his ace ‘Maverick’ cinematographer, Claudio Miranda, along for the ride on “F1.” Kosinski’s become one of the most sought-after blockbuster filmmakers in the industry — the box office performance of “F1” will either soar or crash his stock in the industry.
