Apple TV is ramping up its promotion for the upcoming streaming launch of F1: The Movie on Apple TV, timed for the Las Vegas F1 weekend and the launch of a new 50% off for 6 months deal for Black Friday.
The Sphere dominates the Vegas strip, and Apple TV took advantage of the unique shape of the structure to show a depiction of Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes inside his APX GP racing helmet.
The film debuted in theaters this summer, and grossed more than $600 million at the worldwide box office. Apple is calling it the highest-grossing sports movie of all time.
The performance of F1: The Movie exceeded most industry analyst estimates, and the crucial win came at a time when Apple’s interest in the traditional box office was in doubt.
It will now be helping that its strong response in cinemas will translate into a significant injection of streaming eyeballs, when it hits the Apple TV service on December 12. As an Apple Originals production, the movie will exclusively stream on Apple TV, but you can buy or rent it at other digital content stores.
It is also hoping to drum up some holidays demand for the service with a new 50% off deal for Black Friday, available to new and eligible returning subscribers. Follow this link to the TV app to secure a $5.99 price for six months, less than the half the usual $12.99/month price.
The company is expected to re-team with director Joseph Kosinski on a F1 movie sequel at some point. It is already working with the director on an untitled feature about a UFO conspiracy.
Apple’s interest in doing more wide theatrical releases remains less clear. While the company has more than a dozen new original films in active development, it is yet to commit to a wide cinema release for any of them. However, in a recent interview with Eddy Cue on Matt Beloni’s The Town podcast, Cue indicated they are still interested in doing big box office premieres.
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