Champagne showers, a staple of Formula One races, may be reserved for the racetrack, but the mood at Apple was certainly celebratory over the weekend, as the big-budget “F1” delivered the studio its first box office hit.

The film, starring Brad Pitt as a has-been Formula One driver who gets coerced out of retirement, generated $57 million domestically and $146.3 million in its opening weekend. Though “F1” cost roughly $250 million to produce and requires several laps around the track to turn a theatrical profit, these initial ticket sales are encouraging for an original, adult-skewing tentpole.

It’s also a much-needed win for Apple. Six years into the tech giant’s foray into the movie business, the company has fielded underperforming auteur-driven fare and critically derided flops (“Fly Me to the Moon” and “Argylle”) but nothing that’s been remotely commercial. Apple seemed to be rethinking its film strategy after deciding to curtail...

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