‘F1’ beats ‘World War Z’ to become Brad Pitt’s highest-grossing film, earns $545.6 million globally

Hollywood star Brad Pitt’s Formula One-themed drama F1has just set a new box office record for the actor. The Joseph Kosinski-directed film has become the highest-grossing film in Pitt’s career.

The film has earned $545.6 million at the global box office, overtaking Pitt’s 2013 zombie apocalypse film World War Z, which earned $540 million.

This is only the second time Pitt has crossed the $500 million threshold in his career, a notable milestone given his selective approach to large-scale franchise films. Some of his other box office hits are Mr and Mrs Smith ($487m), Ocean’s Eleven ($450m) and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood ($377m).

Interestingly, this milestone comes just days after F1 became Apple Studios’ most profitable theatrical film, outperforming the studio’s previous releases, including Napoleon ($223 million) and Killers of the Flower Moon ($158 million). The film was made at a reported production budget of $300 million.

The film opened in late June with a $146 million global debut and has maintained momentum despite strong summer competition. Its premium screen rollout and strong overseas response, especially in racing-obsessed markets, helped drive box office success.

F1 follows a former Formula One driver, Pitt’s Sonny Hayes, who is brought back by his former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), to help turn around the struggling APX GP team. His task is to guide the team’s young and outspoken rookie, Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The film explores Hayes’s return to racing, the pressure of mentorship, and the internal politics of a struggling team.