F1 The Movie
Chases the Legacy of Top Gun: Maverick
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$152 – 215MM
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
3.81% – 4.66%
Hidden potential
$620 – 684MM
Whether it’s the thunder of jet engines or the scream of a Formula 1 car, director Joseph Kosinski has proven he can deliver cinematic velocity with style. After the roaring success of Top Gun: Maverick, Kosinski returns with F1, a high-octane drama that trades fighter jets for race cars but aims to hit the same emotional and visual beats.
With an A-list cast, immersive racing sequences, and a familiar mentor-protégé arc, F1 is clearly gunning for the same blockbuster glory. But does it cross the finish line with the same impact?
1. F1 The Movie is an attempt to replicate a Blockbuster
1A. Star Power & Cast of F1 The Movie
- Top Gun: Maverick soared on the wings of nostalgia. Tom Cruise reprised his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, supported by a cast that included Miles Teller as Rooster, Jennifer Connelly as Penny, and Jon Hamm as the by-the-book Cyclone. The emotional return of Val Kilmer as Iceman resonated with longtime fans.
- In F1, Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula One driver brought back to mentor a rising talent, Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The supporting cast includes Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and Tobias Menzies—an ensemble that brings gravitas.
1B. F1 The Movie has higher Production Budget & Marketing Spends:
Both films are massive undertakings, but F1 may have outspent Maverick in its quest for blockbuster status.
- Top Gun: Maverick had a production budget of $170 million and spent over $100 million on marketing.
- F1 is rumored to have a production budget exceeding $300 million, making it one of the most expensive racing films ever made. Apple reportedly invested over $175 million in global marketing, embedding the fictional APXGP team into real F1 races and leveraging the sport’s growing global fanbase.
1C. Realism & Visual Innovation:
Both films are triumphs of practical effects and immersive cinematography.
- Maverick famously used real fighter jets, with actors undergoing flight training and cameras mounted inside cockpits to capture authentic aerial sequences.
- F1 mirrors that commitment to realism. Pitt and Idris trained with professional drivers, and the film was shot during actual Grand Prix weekends using modified Formula 2 cars. The fictional APXGP team was embedded into the real F1 paddock, blurring the line between fiction and reality.
1D. Mentor-Protégé Arc:
At the heart of both films is a tried-and-true narrative: the seasoned veteran mentoring a younger, impulsive talent.
- In Maverick, Cruise’s character trains a new generation of pilots, including Rooster, the son of his late best friend Goose. Their relationship is fraught with tension, grief, and eventual reconciliation.
- In F1, Sonny Hayes must confront his own past while guiding the ambitious and self-centered Joshua Pearce. The dynamic is similar, but the emotional payoff is less cohesive and less earned. In Maverick the arcs are deeply personal and layered. F1’s version, while serviceable, lacks the same emotional gravity.
1E. Box Office & Cultural Impact: One Soars, Other Coasts
- Top Gun: Maverick was a cultural juggernaut. It grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, revitalized the theatrical experience post-pandemic, and earned critical acclaim for its balance of action and heart.
- F1 is still in its theatrical run. While it’s a landmark achievement for motorsport cinema and a visual feast for racing fans, it hasn’t generated the same cultural buzz or box office momentum.
F1 is a bold, ambitious attempt to replicate the formula that made Top Gun: Maverick a modern classic. It has the ingredients: a charismatic lead, breathtaking visuals, and a familiar narrative. But while Maverick soared by grounding its spectacle in character-driven storytelling, F1 sometimes feels like it’s running on fumes when it comes to emotional depth.
2. F1 The Movie has a different plot structure than Top Gun Maverick
At the heart of every unforgettable story lies a structure—an invisible architecture that shapes character, conflict, and catharsis. Yet plot structure remains one of the most misunderstood elements in storytelling. Few modern screenwriters grasp its power as deeply as Justin Marks.
Justin Marks is the narrative mind behind the story of Top Gun: Maverick. Known for his work on Disney’s The Jungle Book and FX’s Shōgun, Marks is a master of blending mythic resonance in storytelling. In Maverick, he didn’t just revive a franchise. He restructured it around timeless emotional quests, giving each character a distinct psychological journey rooted in classical mythology.
2A. Deeper character development: in Top Gun Maverick
- Marks approached Top Gun: Maverick with surgical precision. He began by assigning each character a defining trait, then layered it with a personal motivation—a quest. The plot was not a sequence of events, but a web of intersecting desires. This is what gave the film its emotional lift-off.
- In contrast, F1: The Movie retains character traits but often omits the deeper motivations that drive them. The result is a story that mimics the beats of Maverick but lacks its emotional propulsion.
2B. Altered character quests in F1 The Movie
- Maverick wants to be accepted by others. Even though he’s fiercely independent, deep down he’s looking for approval—from the Navy, from Rooster, and from himself. His journey is similar to the Greek hero Theseus, who had to prove himself to those who doubted him.
- Sonny in F1 also values independence, but unlike Maverick, that’s both his trait and his goal. His story loosely follows David from religious texts and also Theseus, but without much change or emotional growth along the way.
- Rooster is searching for connection and trust. At first, he doesn’t trust Maverick—partly because of his father’s death and partly because Maverick held back his career. His journey is like Psyche in Greek mythology, who learns to trust the one she feared. Once Rooster understands Maverick’s true intentions, he becomes one of his strongest allies.
- Joshua in F1 starts off driven by jealousy and self-interest. His story is similar to Valmiki from Hindu mythology—or Scrooge from Charles Dickens—both of whom were selfish at first but changed after a powerful experience. Joshua also has a change of heart, but it happens quickly and without much buildup.
2C. F1 The Movie has a Quest lost in translation
- In Top Gun: Maverick, the character Cyclone is driven by the desire for status and respect. His journey mirrors Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. Kaikeyi wanted power and recognition, but whose own son, Bharat, disagreed with her choices. Similarly, in Maverick, Cyclone’s authority is challenged when the younger pilots side with Maverick’s bold approach over his rigid command.
- In F1, this type of character is missing. While the story follows similar beats, no one truly embodies the quest for status or social standing. That absence leaves a noticeable gap. Great stories usually have at least three distinct character quests. By unintentionally leaving this one out, F1 narrows its emotional range.
2D. Story Cohesiveness: The Maverick Advantage
- What makes Top Gun: Maverick exceptional is how every subplot reinforces Maverick’s central quest: Cyclone is forced to recruit him for the mission despite his doubts. Rooster discovers Maverick’s true intentions and shifts from mistrust to loyalty. Hangman challenges Maverick, then ultimately respects him. Penny accepts Maverick for who he is. Each character’s journey is a thread in the same emotional fabric.
- In F1, Sonny’s arc is inconsistent because it reflects the quests of Independence as well as Acceptance. Moreover, his pursuit for independence is never truly challenged.
Justin Marks didn’t just write a sequel. He engineered a mythic journey. By grounding Top Gun: Maverick in timeless quests and emotional logic, he created a story that resonated across generations. F1 tries to replicate the structure but forgets the foundation. Without clear motivations, even the most thrilling race can feel like it’s going nowhere.
3. Potential of F1 The Movie: $152 – 215MM domestic revenues
In 1993, Free Willy tried to recapture the emotional magic of E.T. It changed the world, the characters, and the setting—but closely mimicked the scenes and emotional beats. The problem? It copied the surface, not the structure. Without the same underlying plot architecture, Free Willy couldn’t replicate the emotional depth or universal appeal of E.T.
F1: The Movie finds itself in a similar trap. In trying to echo Top Gun: Maverick, it borrows the tone, the mentor-protégé dynamic, and even the visual style—but it misses the deeper narrative structure that made Maverick resonate so widely.
3A. F1 The Movie: Blockbusters aren’t built on spectacle alone, they’re built on story
- All great blockbusters are built on a foundation of at least three universal character quests—emotional journeys that audiences instinctively connect with. Top Gun: Maverick is a textbook example. It’s built around the quests for acceptance, status and social contact. These quests are not only distinct but also interwoven thereby creating a rich emotional tapestry.
- F1: The Movie, by contrast, is built around the quests for independence, accumulation and tranquillity. While the first two are explored, the third is left largely untapped, leaving the story emotionally lopsided.
3B. Audience appeal of F1 The Movie
The difference in structure has a measurable effect. Top Gun: Maverick achieved a script score of 0.61, which correlates with an estimated audience appeal of 17.64% to 19.50%. F1: The Movie, by comparison, scored just 0.13 due to lesser number of universal quests, inconsistent character arc and weak interweaving of quests. Thereby appealing to a much narrower audience segment of roughly 3.81% to 4.66%.
In short, Maverick connects because it’s built on universal emotional truths. F1 dazzles with visuals but doesn’t dig deep enough into its characters’ inner lives to leave a lasting impression.
Explore Top Gun Maverick’s plot structure #1,828 to enhance current revenues by 4X!
Tags: Odysseus, Tranquillity, David, Independence, Valmiki, Accumulation, Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kruger, Apple Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, Apple Original Films, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2025