How ‘F1 The Movie’ took a page from the ‘Barbie’ marketing playbook

These days, did a movie even come out if there wasn’t a several-month period when the film was embedded in just about every aspect of culture possible?

The folks behind F1 The Movie would probably say no.

As Formula 1 fans geared up for the Brad Pitt-led blockbuster to hit theaters this summer, Apple made sure to remind them and newcomers alike of the film through OOH advertising, surprise Pitt-attended events, and—in a manner that only Apple could actually do—directly on their iPhones.

It’s a marketing blitz similar to what 2023’s Barbie phenomenon created, but with its own Formula 1–specific advantages that got a big movie audience interested, said Lucy Markowitz, the general manager of US marketplace at Vistar Media, a T-Mobile-owned digital OOH company. The movie, which has already outpaced Napoleon as Apple’s top-grossing film, is projected to clear $400 million in box-office revenues this weekend, per Box Office Mojo.

“Everyone wants to be a part of something that’s no longer just a movie, [and] part of something that is bigger than just a two-hour film,” she said. “That is partially created by all the buzz that goes around a film. You need social media and paid media in order to fuel that fire. It’s not just gonna happen on its own.”

Off to the races

It was lights off and away we go for the F1 marketing team much earlier than a typical movie campaign. The film’s first teaser trailer dropped during the British Grand Prix in July 2024, almost a year before opening weekend, and a significantly longer lead time than the average four to six months before a regular movie premiere.

“The idea was to have something where you have a global audience already tuning in, but then you’re also playing up the mark of that calendar, [and]…being really prescriptive,” Markowitz said. “In a way, it was almost like [creating awareness] for another race that was coming up, almost organic in a lot of ways, versus it being [for] a movie about an industry.”

While the yearlong timeframe isn’t the norm, F1 isn’t the only film to try and build hype so far in advance. Christopher Nolan’s 2023 box office hit Oppenheimer, which went head-to-head with Barbie in theaters, released a teaser in theaters nearly 365 days before opening weekend, as did 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Most recently, Nolan’s latest project, The Odyssey, took it a step further, releasing IMAX tickets a year before the film is set to hit theaters. (Those tickets are now, impressively, sold out.)

In the time between teaser and film release, the F1 team continued to emphasize the film’s authenticity to the real Formula 1 experience, a tactic that Markowitz said helped connect with more potential viewers and made the film feel like a cultural phenomenon. The movie touted its expert involvement, with real-life F1 driver Lewis Hamilton getting a producer credit, and noted its commitment to creating actual race footage rather than using CGI, as well as holding on-location shoots at real F1 races. Pitt also became a walking billboard in the same way many actual drivers are, sporting real brand sponsorships on his costume from companies like Expensify and Mercedes that brought in an estimated $40 million in revenue, according to Forbes.

But in perhaps the most personal of strategies, Apple also used its tech empire to push F1 reminders into everyday lives via people’s phones. There were race-location highlights in Apple Maps, ticket discount notifications sent via the Wallet app, and a special haptic engine-powered version of the trailer in the Apple TV app. Though the integrations were creative, Markowitz said, they received mixed reactions because of the potential for feeling invasive.

“In a lot of ways, I think this was a test,” she said. “I do think this was to get a gauge on the perception, and I do think that from there, [Apple will] continue to augment how they think about reaching people.”

Make it a moment

All of F1’s efforts added up to a buzzy box-office opening, totaling $144 million globally and marking the biggest opening of Pitt’s career, according to studio estimates cited by the AP.

But was all that hoopla really needed to convince theatergoers to attend? Some theater experts said yes, especially as studios look to appeal to younger audiences.

Manu Singh, chief data and innovation officer at National CineMedia, told us that theater audiences in the 18–34 demographic are particularly interested in making a trip to the movies feel like an experience. That tracks with something Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Near told us earlier this summer: the more of an event a movie seems to be, the more motivation an audience has to go see it in theaters, rather than wait for it to come to streaming.

As the movie industry strives for a $4 billion summer season, it seems the more eventized a film becomes, the better chance at success it could have.

For Apple, a moneymaking theater run isn’t the only kind of success it’s likely interested in, since F1 is set to make its way to Apple TV+ for a streaming run following its theatrical window. It’s also reportedly in the running to land the US TV rights to F1 starting in 2026, with the film serving as a potential scale-tipper.

Markowitz said this next phase of the viewing experience could pave the way for even more marketing to come from Apple, and allow for more opportunities for other brands to get involved, especially with the rest of the real Formula 1 season still going on.

“This is sort of the beginning,” she said. “Who else will want to be a part of this?”