Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie is among the most expensive films ever produced, with a budget swelling to over $300 million, or approximately 1.125 billion Saudi riyals!
Hollywood is no stranger to big budgets, but even in La La Land, spending $300 million on a movie shoot is extremely risky. Alarmingly, recent reports indicate that the budget for the upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt has exceeded that threshold, putting it on the verge of becoming one of the 10 most expensive films of all time.
The film, still unnamed, is being produced by Apple and stars Brad Pitt as a retired driver who is asked to return to motorsport. Aside from Pitt, there are few major stars involved, with the exception of the director, Joseph Kosinski, whose last film, Top Gun: Maverick with Tom Cruise, was a global hit.
In fact, actor Brad Pitt got behind the wheel of a real race car for his upcoming Formula 1 movie, even though it wasn’t a Formula 1 car. Despite being a modified Formula 2 car, the actors required training, insurance, and other considerations to drive it, which Screen Rant reports is part of what caused the film’s budget to rise.
This wasn’t the only factor that led to an increase in the budget of Brad Pitt’s new Formula 1 movie, which began production in July 2023, just days before the SAG-AFTRA strike that shut down Hollywood for 118 days. In the film industry, such delays are very costly.
If reports that the Formula 1 movie’s budget reached $300 million are accurate, it would be among the most expensive films of all time. To be considered a success, it would have to become Brad Pitt’s highest-grossing film ever.
Although Brad Pitt is a major celebrity, his best box office performance to date was in 2013 with World War Z, which grossed $540.4 million worldwide. By that measure, the Formula 1 movie would have to gross over $600 million to avoid being considered a flop.
With a budget exceeding $300 million, the upcoming Formula 1 movie will need to be Brad Pitt’s best-performing film ever to be considered a financial success.
