F1 Action Speeds to Apple TV on December 12
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We finally have a streaming release date for Apple’s summer blockbuster. F1: The Movie will stream globally on the service formerly known as Apple TV+ on December 12, 2025.
“It’s been thrilling to see audiences around the world embrace ‘F1 The Movie’ in theaters,” said producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “Now, we’re beyond excited to bring this exhilarating, cinematic ride to fans everywhere through Apple TV’s unparalleled global reach. Partnering with Apple and Formula 1 has been an incredible journey, and we’re proud that even more viewers, from every corner of the world, will get to experience the heart-pounding action and passion that defines ‘F1 The Movie.’”
A Long Pit Stop Before Streaming
This release is quite a bit later than many expected, but it’s also fair to say that Apple has never had a hit quite this big on its hands. Apple’s previous three big-budget films took an average of 85 days from their theatrical debuts to reach Apple’s streaming service; F1 doubles that average at 168 days.
Still, it’s fitting, as F1 also more than doubled the average box office take of Apple’s last three big films. The racing flick grossed over $629 million by the time it finished its extended theatrical run over the summer, nearly tripling the $221 million from Apple’s previously highest-earner, Napoleon. In fact, F1 beat out all of Apple’s previous releases combined, since the numbers only went down significantly from there, with Killers of the Flower Moon earning $159 million, and Argyle flopping at $88 million. That’s an average take of $156 million, or about a quarter of what F1 pulled in by itself.
Apple’s Biggest Hit Yet
So, it’s no surprise that Apple and its partner, Warner Bros., are looking to capitalize on its premium demand window for a bit longer. Nearly all theatrical releases follow a standard cycle: a few weeks on the big screen, followed by premium video-on-demand (PVOD) sales and high-priced rentals, then physical media, and finally streaming services. Although F1: The Movie was produced directly by Apple Studios, Warner Bros. was brought in to handle the theatrical and media distribution, which includes the PVOD window and this month’s set of Blu-ray releases.
While we were optimistic for an October F1 debut on Apple TV, we always expected this film would run on the longer end of Apple’s theatrical-to-streaming release cycle. It turns out that was much longer.
Apple’s prior theatrical releases moved much faster through the pipeline. Argylle reached PVOD after 32 days and hit Apple TV 38 days later; Killers of the Flower Moon followed the same 38-day PVOD-to-streaming gap; and Napoleon took 48 and 52 days, respectively — a total of 100. By contrast, F1’s 168-day journey more than doubles Apple’s previous high.
The timing isn’t linear, of course, but it’s not surprising that a film that pulled in nearly three times as much is going to spend longer on the premium circuit. Still, even though F1 sits within the majority for big-budget films, it’s on the extreme end of that group.
Studios Are Re-Lengthening the Window
Still, the strategy fits a broader industry trend. According to Ampere Analysis’ Alice Thorpe, research showed that 55% of US studio movies “took 90 days or more to hit subscription streaming platforms in 2024.” Thorpe called this the “new normal for big-budget films,” suggesting it’s part of a broader studio effort to draw audiences back into theaters.
Wide-release movies distributed domestically by the five major US studios last year took an average of 87 days post-release in theatres to reach subscription streaming platforms. The average number of days it takes studio movies to reach streaming platforms is up almost 20% from 2022, when just over a quarter of such movies took 90 days or more to reach streaming.
Alice Thorpe, Ampere Analysis
Joining the Big Leagues
Even if 90 is becoming standard, most analysts consider 120 to be at the outer edge of a long window. This puts F1 in a relatively elite group that includes Oppenheimer (210 days), Top Gun: Maverick (209 days), 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (197 days), Avatar: The Way of Water (173 days), and Barbie (147 days).
It’s even more pronounced when you consider that the initial part of the schedule was closer to the norm, with a PVOD release on August 22, only 56 days after the theatrical debut — and some believed that was only delayed because Apple wanted to give the film one more run in IMAX theatres.
This leaves the run from PVOD to streaming at a more extreme 112 days — well above the entire theatrical-to-streaming window of most films. Still, F1 isn’t alone here, as Top Gun: Maverick took 121 days, and it’s probably not entirely a coincidence that both films were made by the same duo of Bruckheimer and Kosinski. Oppenheimer took an even longer 148 days to go from PVOD to streaming, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning hit PVOD about 88 days after its May 23 theatrical debut, and — though Paramount hasn’t announced a date yet — it’s widely expected to mirror the long theatrical-to-streaming window of Cruise’s other recent tentpoles.
One More Lap for Blu-ray Fans
Since PVOD sales typically taper off quickly, it’s likely this extra time is more about pushing Blu-ray sales, which makes sense for F1, considering the way Warner Bros. is pulling out all the stops, with the standard 1080p and 4K versions, and a Limited Edition Steelbook version.
It’s also not a coincidence that today’s announcement arrives a week after the Blu-ray discs went on sale. The date may not have been finalized until Warner Bros. saw those first physical-media sales figures, but it’s clear the studio wants a longer window of exclusivity before Apple TV takes the checkered flag. Of course, the flip side also means that those willing to be patient and save some money now have a date to mark on their calendars.
Whether that patience pays off for Warner Bros. and Apple remains to be seen. But if F1 proves anything, it’s that Apple Studios can now play in the same league — and on the same release cadence — as Hollywood’s biggest franchises.
