Brad Pitt's Formula 1 movie might not have that much reach, and it isn't part of an established franchise either. That's a big part of why Top Gun: Maverick managed to stay in cinemas for months. Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to an '80s classic, and it had a rare appeal that drew even older audiences to theaters.
Their racing film will undoubtedly be a massive hit, but it's unlikely to be as much of a hit as the Top Gun sequel, which had a lot more things going for it at the box office. Director Joseph Kosinski was highly committed to the stunt work of the Top Gun sequel, shooting over 800 hours of footage of the jets, and he's repeating that ambition with his Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt. It was a phenomenal success and even beat every Marvel movie released in 2022. Top Gun: Maverick wasn't just Tom Cruise's first billion-dollar-grossing movie it made an incredible $1.5 billion worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).
