“‘F1’ is going to be Apple’s biggest release at the box office by far,” says David A. Gross, who runs the FranchiseRe movie consulting firm. “This film looks like the successful business model Apple has envisioned and wanted to execute for several years.”

Apple just had its first box office hit with “F1,” a big-budget racing drama starring Brad Pitt. The movie opened to $55.6 million domestically and $144 million globally this weekend. According to a New York Times report,

But the movie cost at least $350 million to make and market, analysts said, so it will need to attract substantial crowds in the weeks ahead to make money.