Apple CEO Tim Cook is confident that the risk of taking on the upcoming F1 movie, reported to have cost upwards of $200 million, is not only justified but also part of expanding the tech company’s reach into original films.
The F1 movie, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, is set for international release on 25 June before its premiere in North America on 27 June. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has served as executive producer on the highly anticipated film alongside Joseph Kosinski as director and Jerry Bruckheimer as producer.
The film is also a collaboration between Apple Original Films, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Hamilton’s Dawn Apollo, and Pitt’s Plan B.
Cook sees F1 as a milestone in Apple’s six-year journey into original movies and TV. The tech giant spent a year developing advanced camera technology for the film, which is now also incorporated into the latest iPhone cameras. “You can feel that you’re in the car with the camera,” Cook explained to Variety. “We cared about every detail.”
“To bring something to life that would be authentic to the sport, that would tell a great story as well about the ups and downs of life – F1 hit on all the things,” he added.
“And then we could bring some things that are uniquely Apple to the movie, like our camera technology. And we plan to have the whole of the company support it as well — our retail operation and everything. So it was something that we could get the entire company around. It feels wonderful to be a part of it.”
While Apple could have acquired a major studio, Cook insists that building from scratch is more in line with the company’s ethos.
Brad Pitt filming F1 race movie
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“We elected not to go out and procure a catalogue. I know that’s a faster way into the business, but it didn’t feel like Apple at the end of the day,” Cook says.
“Apple should have something that we pour our passion into, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with the shows. And now you can see us hitting a stride. It feels wonderful.”
The Apple CEO is also adamant that the company’s move into the entertainment industry is not related to increasing Apple product sales.
“I don’t have it in my mind that I’m going to sell more iPhones because of it. I don’t think about that at all. I think about it as a business. And just like we leverage the best of Apple across iPhones and across our services, we try to leverage the best of Apple TV+.”
He added, “We really only do a few things. We only have a few products for the size of company we are. We pour all of ourselves in each one of those — and we do TV and movies the same way. It’s about staying true to what Apple has always been.
“It’s about staying true to innovation, staying true to our North Star. And if you’re able to do that and entertain people in a great way, then we’re doing pretty good.
“I think the business of our being in this business will be good for us,” he concluded.
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