F1: The Movie raced to the top spot at the box office in its opening weekend, earning more than $140m (R2.48bn) globally.
That includes $55.6m (R984m) in the US, with $25m (R619.6m) of that coming on the movie’s opening day on Friday, according to The Numbers.
The movie, which stars Brad Pitt and was executive-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, was filmed at F1 racetracks through the 2024 season.
Pitt plays an F1 driver who comes out of retirement to help a struggling team while mentoring an up-and-coming young driver.
According to Forbes, F1: The Movie outpaced Napoleon ($78.8m or R1.39bn in 2023) for the biggest opening weekend for an Apple Studios film. However, with the cost of making F1: The Movie reportedly topping $350m (R6.20bn), it will need a continued run of success at the box office to make money.