Thanks to its critical and commercial success, F1 The Movie will definitely be remembered as one of the standout films of 2025. Ever since its release on June 27, the sports movie has dominated the box office. As of this writing, F1 The Movie has grossed $571 million globally (via Box Office Mojo).

This is incredibly impressive, especially since it has had to compete against several major franchise films this summer. Thankfully, a slew of positive reviews for F1 The Movie ensured that it would attract people to theaters. Screen Rant‘s own Mae Abdulbaki gave the racing movie an impressive 8 out of 10 stars, and the film also has a critics score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

There’s even a chance that F1 The Movie will be nominated for Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards, which proves how influential it has been since its release. Regardless of any future awards success, it’s clear that F1 The Movie is the biggest box office surprise of the year and can definitely teach Hollywood some important lessons.

F1’s Box Office Is The Biggest Surprise Of The Year

Long before its release, F1 The Movie was hoped to be a major box office hit. Apple invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the racing movie, essentially meaning it needed to earn a lot in order to be considered a success. This is precisely why F1 The Movie was marketed as a must-see theatrical experience.

Of course, it helped that the film was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who previously helmed movies like Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, and most notably, Top Gun: Maverick. The Top Gun legacy sequel is one of the most successful movies of this decade, making just shy of $1.5 billion in 2022. Therefore, there were reasons to have confidence in F1 The Movie ahead of its release.

Furthermore, the cast of F1 The Movie is led by Brad Pitt, who has been a bankable leading man for nearly three decades. Not only has it become yet another major success for the acclaimed actor, but F1 The Movie is now the highest-grossing movie starring Pitt. It’s worth mentioning that ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2 grossed more, but it only featured Pitt in a cameo role.

F1 The Movie’s total box office haul solidifies it as one of the biggest successes of the year. As of this writing, it is the eighth-highest-grossing movie of 2025. This is on the worldwide chart; domestically, it was recently edged out of the Top 10 to land at no. 11.

The majority of the top-grossing тιтles are part of some of the most popular franchises and series in the world. Even A Minecraft Movie, which technically isn’t part of an official film franchise (yet), is based on the most popular video game of all time. Therefore, it’s a major accomplishment that F1 The Movie can be included in this group of mᴀssively successful films.

Additionally, F1 The Movie being able to gross more than several other franchise films is also a major accomplishment. It was not able to surpᴀss the films in the above table, but its total box office haul is greater than movies like Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Snow White. At the beginning of the year, practically no one would have predicted this.

Obviously, Formula One is a very popular sport, but that never guaranteed the film’s success. Instead, Kosinski and his creative team had to develop a compelling story to ensure that F1 The Movie had positive word of mouth. Without a doubt, they achieved their goal.

What Hollywood Can Learn From F1’s Box Office Success

There are several obvious takeaways from the astounding success of F1 The Movie. Firstly, it seems like people want to see more movies starring Pitt. He has been a popular actor for many decades, but F1 The Movie could potentially be the start of a new era for the actor’s career. He’ll likely be a H๏τ commodity for studios in the coming years.

Secondly, there is definitely a demand for more movies directed by Kosinski. Following the success of both Top Gun: Maverick and F1 The Movie, the filmmaker shouldn’t have any problems getting films greenlit in the coming years. Additionally, Kosinski will most likely direct Top Gun 3, which will undoubtedly be one of the biggest movies of his career.

Thirdly, this success, and the growing popularity of F1 as a sport in general, could lead to many more racing films being greenlit. There have been some acclaimed racing films in the past, such as Ford v Ferrari and Rush, but racing, and F1 in particular, has never been one of the most popular sports to adapt for a movie. However, it’s possible that this will now change.

Finally, and most importantly, this should make Hollywood studios realize that people still crave original blockbusters. F1 The Movie outgrossing so many franchise films in particular emphasizes this, proving that audiences can be enticed by a good story that isn’t attached to IP. As F1 The Movie‘s theatrical run comes to an end, I hope plenty of skilled filmmakers get their chance to make big-budget, wholly original blockbusters.