Motorsports drama F1 starring Brad Pitt has emerged as the biggest theatrical opener for Apple Original Films, earning USD 144 million globally over the weekend, including USD 55.6 million in North America alone, as per trade figures reported by Box Office Mojo.

The strong debut signals a breakthrough for the tech giant, which has had a mixed run in theatres despite critical success on streaming platforms.

Directed by Top Gun: Maverick helmer Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, F1 leans heavily on real racetrack action and IMAX visuals. The film, which also stars Damson Idris and Kerry Condon, was reportedly made on a budget of over USD 200 million.

Apple partnered with Warner Bros for global theatrical distribution, hoping to replicate the box-office momentum of Top Gun: Maverick, which came from the same creative team.

“The film’s outstanding debut reflects both the excitement of Formula 1 and the deeply emotional and entertaining story crafted by the entire cast and creative team,” Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of worldwide video, told AP.

Also starring Javier Bardem, Kate McKenna, Tobias Menzies, F1 revolves around a washed-up American driver pulled back into the world of Formula 1 by his former teammate.

F1 was expected to face stiff competition from Universal’s M3GAN 2.0, but the horror sequel failed to match the box-office performance of its 2022 predecessor, collecting only USD 17 million worldwide.