Rush: F1 was a huge box office success but still fails to go past another motorsport film in one way

This year's motorsport drama, F1: The Movie, is undoubtedly among the best films of this year. Fans loved the characters in it, especially the cool nomadic racer Sonny Hayes. Of course, that's Brad Pitt we are talking about; he can never not be cool.

Other than him, the star studded cast also features Javier Bardem as his friend Ruben Cervantes, Damson Idris as Sonny's hotshot rival Joshua Pearce, Kerry Condon as Sonny's love interest, and more. It was a wild ride and has garnered $580 million from the global box office, becoming the eighth highest-grossing movie of this year.

That was one feat. However, it still fails to beat the 2013 motorsport film Rush starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl in one way. Rush is still better than F1: The Movie in terms of its critical reception. However, it didn't earn a lot like the latter and garnered $98 million at the global box office.

But then it can be considered a commercial success given its $38 million budget. The Brad Pitt film, in contrast, was made on a reported $200–300 million budget, also making it one of the most expensive movies of the year, a crown that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning holds.

What's the critical score like?

The film also features many Formula One drivers. (Image via Warner Bros.)

As of this writing, both the films are in a similar range, where F1: The Movie holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% and Rush is sitting fresh with 89%. However, the audience scores are just the opposite, where the former is winning with a 97% Popcornmeter score in contrast to the latter, which is at 88%.

What are the critics saying about F1: The Movie?

The critics have praised the characters in the film while also giving Joseph Kosinski's direction a thumbs up. Tim Miller, writing for Cape Cod Wave Magazine, says in his review that,

"The characters – especially those played by star Brad Pitt and Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) – are engaging, and director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) knows how to shoot action scenes that leave your heart in your throat."

Another critic, Bruce R. Miller, says in his Sioux City Journal review that,

"If Formula One racing gets a big boost in the next year, just know it was because officials had the good sense to make this very effective Pitt stop."

We will see if we get to see how true this statement proves by the end of this year.

Rush was praised similarly

Like F1: The Movie, critics lauded the characters in Rush. In fact, they deemed the leads to have given performances of their careers. A film critic called Carla Renata says,

"Ron Howard directs a high octane, in your face film about two racers at the height of the Formula One racing era. Hemsworth and Bruhl give the performances of their career."

Interestingly, both the actors have also worked together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, just not together. Chris Hemsworth has appeared in several of the MCU movies as the God of Thunder, Thor, while Daniel Brühl appeared as Baron Zemo in the 2016 movie Captain America: Civil War and the 2021 television series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.