Abu Dhabi is gearing up to host the regional premiere of the F1® The Movie, an anticipated film starring Brad Pitt and directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski.
The premiere is set to take place on June 25, 2025, right before the film’s official Middle East theatrical release on June 26, 2025.
Distributed globally by Warner Bros, pictures in theatres and IMAX, the film is an original feature by Apple Original Films in collaboration with the wider Formula 1® community, according to a report by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Brad Pitt’s F1® The Movie premiere
The movie is produced by Kosinski under his Monolith Pictures banner, alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman (Jerry Bruckheimer Films).
Seven-time F1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton (Dawn Apollo Films), Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (Plan B Entertainment) also took over the role of producers.
The screenplay is written by Academy Award-nominee Ehren Kruger and based on a story by Kosinski and Kruger.
The red-carpet event will mark a return for the film’s cast and crew, who wrapped production during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December 2024.
Mohamed Dobay, Acting Director General of Creative Media Authority, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming back the cast and crew for a fourth F1-related occasion after hosting the team on three different shoots across three years. Not only in terms of duration but also in terms of economic impact, the ‘F1® The Movie’ production has made a significant difference to Abu Dhabi’s creative ecosystem and to host the region’s premiere as part of a global tour, this will be a fitting closing moment and celebration to the full lifecycle of the production project and our first official partnership with Apple Original Films.”
The regional premiere is supported by the Creative Media Authority, Abu Dhabi Film Commission, and local production partner Epic Films.
The film was shot across real Grand Prix weekends at global locations, including an intensive 29-day production phase in Abu Dhabi.
Key filming sites included Yas Marina Circuit, Zayed International Airport, and twofour54 Studios.
A total of 284 local crew members contributed to the production, with support from Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s rebate scheme and the involvement of fifteen UAE-based interns who trained alongside some of the world’s leading film professionals.
‘F1® The Movie’ follows the fictional story of Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a once-promising F1 driver from the 1990s whose career was derailed by a major crash.
Decades later, he is drawn back into the sport by former teammate Ruben Cervantes (played by Javier Bardem), now the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team on the verge of collapsing.
Hayes is recruited for one last comeback, racing alongside a rising rookie talent, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), as personal rivalries and past traumas collide on and off the track.
Sameer Al Jaberi, Head of Abu Dhabi Film Commission, added: “We are incredibly proud to be hosting a premiere for ‘F1® The Movie’ – a moment which will see many of the cast and crew return to Abu Dhabi after wrapping 29 days of production – including days at the Yas Marina Circuit. As we continue to drive the film and TV production industry of Abu Dhabi forward, milestone moments such as premieres provide us the ideal opportunity to celebrate our collective efforts to support the visions of some of the world’s leading directors and producers from Arabic, Bollywood and Hollywood within a welcoming and supportive environment.”
The film is among more than 180 major productions supported by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission since the introduction of its incentive programme in 2013.
