Theater owners want to see more from Apple at a time when they’re often struggling with a lack of compelling material, especially for grown-ups. With 'F1,' they saw a glimpse of hope.

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.

“‘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.”