Apple Considers Theatrical Arm Amid $250M Bet on 'F1: The Movie'

[WarmWinterHat]

Respectfully disagree on CarPlay Ultra. Want.

Car manufacturers don't.

As for this, Apple sure are putting a lot into this movie, and it looks pretty lackluster. Maybe it's because I don't care about F1 and I'm not friends with anyone that does, even though I used to build and work on hot rods and 4x4 trucks in high school and early college.

I'm 45, so in the cohort.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If this is accurate, I think it would be a big financial loss for Apple.

 

[xDKP]

🤭

I'm in my thirties and squarely in the millennial cohort. I enjoy many Brad Pitt films. I simply have no interest in racing or racing films. But it totally tracks that my parents' generation wants to see themselves as the heroes in their own story, even as the world gives plenty of evidence to the contrary. The older generation is, ironically, stuck in adolescence.

And I have just turned 40 and I'm a huge F1 fan and would never go see a movie like this - Why should I watch something super unrealistic where a 60 year old comes back to racing, when even Lewis Hamilton at 40 is showing many signs of age and has lost some of his edge.

"It's the closest to the real thing" but yeah, that's the problem. The real thing is on 22 weekends a year and is way better. No need for Hollywood to come in and mess with it.

And if I don't want to watch it as an actual F1 fan (my guess many would not) who would? Non-F1 fans? Not betting my money on that one.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

They should start a "let apps from others make movies and tv, and get back to making good products" division. If only Apple had taken gaming more serious instead of this then Apple TV hardware (renamed) might be interesting. What's more, the biggest shortcoming with Macs could be addressed.

Digital Foundry just put out a video yesterday talking about Metal 4’s new functions that seem to focus on games. The Metal 4 announcements were joined with another “Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac this year” announcement so it seems like we are again in Apple’s on-again phase for Mac gaming. I do wonder how long it will be until Apple goes back to their off-again phase though.

 

[Xade]

Ironically, one of the changes in iOS 26 is a toggle to opt out of ads in the Wallet app.

But why are they even there in the first place?

 

[jimbobb24]

I got hooked on F1 after watching Netflix's drive to Survive. It's one of the coolest sports in the world. I am very interested in this movie. I dont know how old Brad Pitt is supposed to be but the number of racers who can be successful after 40 is tiny. I think the oldest to win a modern championship is 39 which makes it almost impossible that Lewis Hamilton will ever get that 8th title (he is 40) but it also makes it a little unrealistic that someone could race in F1 at whatever age Pitt is supposed to be. F1 is a sport of super human reflexes. But I like F1 and I like Pitt so I will see this.

 

[JosephAW]

Pay close attention to Disney and their results and do the exact opposite for success

 

[DFZD]

One time they have to pay someone else the 30% cut and they realise how unfair it is when you have a hit product.

 

[MistrSynistr]

I can't even with this, who is going to see a movie about Formula 1 racing lol.

 

[relaxedpanda]

You have gotta love the irony in the fact that Apple is wanting to do their own distribution to avoid paying out to Warner Bros

 

[Jakewilk]

I won’t be seeing it in theaters simply because I’m already a TV+ subscriber. Why would I go out of my way to pay more?

 

[MNWildFan]

This won't be a breakout hit. The problem is the subject matter, just not enough people interested.

And on top of that, the fact that they pulled something simlar to when they sprang a U2 album on all of us back in 2014 with doing an advertisement in the Wallet app

Interestingly enough, I didn't get it; then again, I'm on the developer betas of iOS 26 and have heard that there's a feature that will allow for advertising/promos (much like this one for this movie) to come in through the Wallet app

 

[Ghengis LeMond]

Some once great conglomerates:
General Electric
Westinghouse
AOL/Time Warner/AT&T (x 2!)
Sony
Viacom
Vivendi

What do they all have in common?
Corporate ego drove an entry into Hollywood though aquisition of media companies. The destruction of wealth demonstrated by the above list is truly incredible and in the multiple $Trillions in today’s dollars. There is no more destructive force than hubris.

 

[mk313]

I got hooked on F1 after watching Netflix's drive to Survive. It's one of the coolest sports in the world. I am very interested in this movie. I dont know how old Brad Pitt is supposed to be but the number of racers who can be successful after 40 is tiny. I think the oldest to win a modern championship is 39 which makes it almost impossible that Lewis Hamilton will ever get that 8th title (he is 40) but it also makes it a little unrealistic that someone could race in F1 at whatever age Pitt is supposed to be. F1 is a sport of super human reflexes. But I like F1 and I like Pitt so I will see this.

I think Drive to Survive was one of the reasons that Apple went all in on this. When it first came out, no one was predicting that so many people would watch it. Seems to have really been a great TV/streaming show. (I've never seen it). It even spawned other sports to do the same thing. I think Apple was hoping to grab some of that segment that got into F1 based on Drive to Survive. I hope it works for them, but it's not sounding likely.

 

[nt5672]

I think management wants the spotlight more than they want good products.

Two more of our in-house computers moved to Linux because Macs are just getting too flakey. Man it is really bad when free stuff (Linux) is better than the best one of the largest tech company in the world can produce.

 

[Pezimak]

"Brad Pitt, who plays the lead role as an aging Formula 1 driver returning to the sport, was apparently paid more than the $20 million baseline typically reserved for A-list actors and will receive a portion of the film's backend profits if the movie performs strongly."

This is the issue I have with films, and why it was quite utterly hypocritical for these A list actors to join in the strike actions by the film industry members.
It is why AI is taking over.

Sure Apple can set up its new distribution arm, but it really needs to think if it wants to pay single actors over 20 million a film plus shares of the profits.

 

[nt5672]

My dude, the hardware and software engineers at Apple aren't being pulled away to produce or distribute films. Apple is a massive company with multiple arms. They don't need to shut out options for additional business models because a HomePod hasn't been updated in a while.

That may be true philosophically, but in reality there is only so much money, and when that money is directed to false hopes, like an Apple Car, and big name movies and held back from core technology like AI and Siri it revels one thing.

The CEO has no clue and is just wasting money trying to hit a home run in a game he is not qualified to play.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

That may be true philosophically, but in reality there is only so much money, and when that money is directed to false hopes, like an Apple Car, and big name movies and held back from core technology like AI and Siri it revels one thing.

The CEO has no clue and is just wasting money trying to hit a home run in a game he is not qualified to play.

Apple spent $10 billion on the car. That's six months of free Google payola money ($20 billion, per year).

There is plenty of money.

 

[Pezimak]

Car manufacturers don't.

As for this, Apple sure are putting a lot into this movie, and it looks pretty lackluster. Maybe it's because I don't care about F1 and I'm not friends with anyone that does, even though I used to build and work on hot rods and 4x4 trucks in high school and early college.

I'm 45, so in the cohort.

I'm an F1 fan and have followed the sport since the 80's and I think this film looks rubbish, I was annoyed with how it took over last season too. F1 driver egos are already big enough, now they'll be in a film on the big screen! Oh dear lol.

 

[trusso]

My dude, the hardware and software engineers at Apple aren't being pulled away to produce or distribute films. Apple is a massive company with multiple arms. They don't need to shut out options for additional business models because a HomePod hasn't been updated in a while.

Very true, but I don’t think you can deny that Apple’s media aspirations take away the executive suite’s focus from the software and hardware.

If your head’s in space while you’re walking, autopilot will only get you so far. Eventually you’re going to trip or walk into a solid object.

 

[nt5672]

Apple spent $10 billion on the car. That's six months of free Google payola money ($20 billion, per year).

There is plenty of money.

Then why are Apple services and software so bad? Well because however much money Apple has, it is not being used wisely.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Then why are Apple services and software so bad? Well because however much money Apple has, it is not being used wisely.

I agree with you...Focus, talent, management; take your pick.

 

[iJulio]

The problem is while the movie looks entertaining, F1 itself has a very niche audience with regards to the sport, pretty much overseas in Europe / Asia mainly. Popularity has been growing in the US as of recently, but it's not mainstream.

 

[laptech]

Whilst the likes of Warner Bro's and Disney will be happy to take Apple's money I do not think they will be happy to have Apple try to muscle in on their business. Such a venture will not end well for Apple in my opinion.

 

[GUNSTAR1]

i think the only thing apple has not done is force an ad on the lock screen for this.. Guess what apple, i aint interested.