This weekend, the movie F1, starring Brad Pitt, officially hits theaters. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), the film explores the increasingly popular world of Formula 1 racing in the US and around the world.
Apple has had some cinematic successes, like the Oscar-winning CODA and the critically acclaimed Napoleon. However, most of its previous blockbuster projects have failed to meet box office expectations.
Apple's 'F1' is another big-budget movie on the big screen. (Source: yahoo.com)
According to Peter Kafka (Yahoo News, Business Insider), there are two popular theories about the real motives behind Apple's huge investments in movies.
The first is an emotional marketing strategy: When audiences love movies produced by Apple, they tend to have more sympathy for hardware products like the iPhone or iPad.
Second, Apple is looking to strengthen its services business as iPhone sales slow down — with platforms like Apple TV+ and iCloud becoming important parts of the ecosystem.
However, according to Puck News , after F1, Apple currently has no more major films scheduled to hit theaters in 2025 or 2026. This shows that Apple itself still doesn't seem to fully trust the theatrical movie release model.
Responding to Variety, CEO Tim Cook once said: “We got into this business to tell good stories and make it a good business.” However, this still leaves many skeptics open as Apple has not clearly defined its content strategy and does not have its own cinematic universe like Disney or Marvel.
F1 thus becomes a new test – not just in terms of content – but also in how Apple measures the limits between art, brand and business strategy in the changing world of technology.
Actor Brad Pitt stars in Apple's F1 movie. (Source: yahoo.com)
But Apple isn’t the only tech company trying its hand at movies. Amazon, for example, owns MGM Studios and spent more than $465 million on the first season of The Rings of Power. It sees movies as a strategic element in retaining Prime subscribers.
Meanwhile, Google once experimented with the YouTube Originals platform but soon withdrew, shifting its focus back to advertising and artificial intelligence (AI). Meta prioritized developing virtual reality (VR) and metaverse content, almost not betting on traditional movies.
Netflix, though not a hardware company, is still considered a leading digital studio, and recently even agreed to release some films in select theaters to please famous directors like Greta Gerwig with the Narnia project.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/apple-dua-f1-ra-rap-vi-sao-ong-lon-cong-nghe-me-dam-hollywood-ar951087.html
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