The big story
Brad Pitt’s latest film was one of this summer’s first blockbusters. F1: The Movie sees Pitt play an ageing, failed driver enticed back to the paddock for one last hurrah. Its realism comes from its unprecedented access, with actual Formula One drivers and races appearing on screen. Apple Studio’s budget was huge, reportedly as much as $300 million.
F1: The Movie was also arguably the most integrated corporate tie-in in history. The film was a product placement bonanza, with more than $40 million raised by plastering brand names on the cars and fire suits of Pitt’s fictional F1 team. Sponsors also featured in the dialogue. “It has broken any understanding of what product placement can actually do,” one Hollywood veteran told Forbes. “It’s never happened to ...
The big story
Brad Pitt’s latest film was one of this summer’s first blockbusters. F1: The Movie sees Pitt play an ageing, failed driver enticed back to the paddock for one last hurrah. Its realism comes from its unprecedented access, with actual Formula One drivers and races appearing on screen. Apple Studio’s budget was huge, reportedly as much as $300 million.
F1: The Movie was also arguably the most integrated corporate tie-in in history. The film was a product placement bonanza, with more than $40 million raised by plastering brand names on the cars and fire suits of Pitt’s fictional F1 team. Sponsors also featured in the dialogue. “It has broken any understanding of what product placement can actually do,” one Hollywood veteran told Forbes. “It’s never happened to this degree before.”
And the film itself? A formulaic romp that delivered Apple Studios its biggest box office hit to date, bringing in $624 million in global ticket sales. Expect more films, and brands, to follow.
Lights, camera, traction
Notable examples of film and TV’s impact on buying habits
22%
Increase in sales of Mini Cooper in 2003, the year the car featured heavily in the remake of The Italian Job
23%
Increase in exports of Wensleydale in the two years following the release of the 2005 film Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, in which the cheese is cited as the lead character’s favourite
536%
Jump in sales of rye whiskey between 2009-2014, the height of the popularity of TV series Mad Men, in which the characters are seen drinking it frequently
The critical list
Five of the best reviewed new TV shows of the quarter
Dept. Q | Netflix Scandi noir gets a tartan makeover in this gritty Edinburgh-set reboot of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Danish crime series. Matthew Goode stars as Carl Morck, a detective with a gift for alienating colleagues and cracking cold cases.
Dying For Sex | Disney+
Adapted from the podcast of the same name, Dying For Sex is the surprisingly uplifting tale of Molly (Michelle Williams) who goes on a journey of erotic awakening after a terminal diagnosis.
Just Act Normal | BBC
Child abandonment doesn’t scream ‘comedy potential’, but Janice Okoh’s adaptation of her play Three Birds manages to find humour in the most unlikely of places.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North | BBC
Based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker prize-winning novel, this is a slow-burning, emotionally rich war drama.
Overcompensating | Prime Video
This campus comedy is a fizzy mix of raunch, repression and Gen Z angst. Playing a closeted jock navigating uni life, Benito Skinner brings heart and hilarity to a story that’s part Sex Education, part Derry Girls.
The ultimate summer reading list
Each year, book reviewers produce lists of recommended reads for summer getaways. We analysed the recommended holiday reading lists from the biggest publications to produce 2025’s definitive meta list of poolside page-turners
Research: Marcus Webb | Illustration: Christian Tate
The critical list
Five of the best reviewed books of the quarter
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
Erskine’s accomplished debut circles around an incident of sexual assault while exploring class, politics and family life in post-Troubles Northern Ireland.
Lost Boys by James Bloodworth
Investigative journalist Bloodworth’s timely undercover journey into the ‘manosphere’, where he meets the shady figures profiting from a crisis in masculinity.
The Names by Florence Knapp
Knapp’s debut novel tells a family’s story through three striking narratives, deftly posing the question of how much our names really impact our lives.
The North Road by Rob Cowen
Cowen’s deeply personal study of the A1, the road connecting London and Edinburgh, blends history, memoir and fiction in a state-of-the-nation masterpiece.
When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
A guaranteed tearjerker, this Swedish novel sensitively chronicles an elderly man’s fight to protect what’s left of his autonomy – and keep hold of his beloved dog.