Denzel Washington’s New Crime Movie Is An Ideal Follow-Up To $510 Million Hit (But There’s A Catch)

Denzel Washington is a proven box office star, and his new film, Highest 2 Lowest, has become a crucial release on the heels of another hit. The 2025 crime thriller reteams Denzel with director Spike Lee, as the talented duo takes on the challenge of remaking Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 drama High and Low.

As the fifth Denzel Washington and Spike Lee movie, Highest 2 Lowest has plenty of appeal. The popular star and director have a history of turning out hits, individually and collectively, and that’s made their return to a crime genre they’ve already done well before (with 2006’s Inside Man) an exciting prospect.

The combined notoriety that comes with them also means expectations are high. Highest 2 Lowest’s Rotten Tomatoes score has already lived up to the biggest hopes following a festival premiere by Apple Studios and A24 ahead of the film’s theatrical release on August 22, 2025.

Many of Apple Studios’ films have received critical acclaim, while others have found modest success at the box office or have really taken off on streaming. Betting on Denzel and Spike to deliver a hit always made sense for the chance Highest 2 Lowest does both. It’s now an intriguing test for the studio following one of the year’s biggest hits, but there’s an unusual aspect to its arrival too.

Highest 2 Lowest Is Apple’s First Movie After F1 Became A Mega Box Office Hit

Brad Pitt’s Racing Movie Has Broken Records

When Highest 2 Lowest comes out in a few weeks, it will be Apple Studios’ first major release since debuting F1: The Movie this summer. After partnering with director/star combos that include Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix, Matthew Vaughn and Henry Cavill, Doug Liman and Matt Damon, and more, Apple has most recently done it with Joseph Kosinski and Brad Pitt.

Even before F1’s release, there was some hope that the costly blockbuster would find an audience in theaters thanks to the grand appeal of Formula 1 racing, Pitt’s movie star persona, and Kosinski’s thrilling action direction after Top Gun: Maverick. Yet, even the most bullish of projections weren’t accounting for the movie making over $500 million, which is what it’s done so far.

F1 has easily become Apple Studios’ biggest box office hit as its total has now climbed to $510 million. That’s more than double the studio’s previous record-holder, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which topped out at $221 million. F1’s box office is the type of performance that proves Apple can make and market movies with grand appeal that audiences will pay to see in theaters.

In reality, this has been true for a few years. Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon both made over $150 million worldwide despite being well over two and a half hours long and rated R. The high budgets might mean they weren’t profitable in traditional Hollywood terms (making 2.5x the cost at the box office), but Apple was never counting on that thanks to streaming expectations for both.

Although Highest 2 Lowest lacks the adrenaline-fueled racing scenes and brand power of F1, it is a movie that Apple should have faith in at the box office on paper. It has a major A-list star in Denzel, a well-known director who frequently delivers quality work in Spike, strong reviews, and solid marketing that makes it look like the closest thing we’ll get to an Inside Man sequel.

Denzel’s attachment alone is reason for Apple to believe in Highest 2 Lowest’s financial potential. He is a huge draw for audiences, especially when his movies incorporate popular genres that broaden their appeal. That’s a big reason why Inside Man made $185 million in 2006, which would be about $249 million today adjusted for inflation.

If Apple could turn Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon into decent box office performers, they should be able to do the same for Highest 2 Lowest. The unfortunate part is that Apple doesn’t seem to care about that as much with this movie, even after F1’s box office success story.

Apple Isn’t Betting On Highest 2 Lowest At The Box Office

The Studio’s Actions Doubt Denzel

Even though Highest 2 Lowest is coming out in theaters on August 22, Apple has made the surprising decision to already make its streaming release date known. What’s shocking is that the movie is going to release on Apple TV+ on September 5 – just two weeks later.

Prior to F1’s box office racing to record heights for Apple, that decision was somewhat defensible. Apple pulled back on its theatrical release plans, including putting Pitt’s first Apple movie – the George Clooney co-starring Wolfs – directly on streaming after taking away a theatrical release, in light of seeing movies with big budgets not deliver higher box office totals.

It’s clear that the studio started to get cold feet and wanted to hedge their bets a bit more at the box office. Yet, F1’s success is a sign that Apple should have faith that audiences will turn out for their films, especially when they have genre appeal, critical praise, and major name recognition, as is the case with Highest 2 Lowest.

By keeping Highest 2 Lowest’s theatrical exclusivity window to only two weeks, Apple is handicapping the movie’s box office potential long-term. It may still prove to be a strong performer initially, as audiences could turn out for Denzel and Spike alone, but it will have trouble sustaining business weeks after.

That’s why I’m so intrigued to see how Highest 2 Lowest does at the box office once it comes out. If it pops, then Apple could have financial incentives to reconfigure its theatrical plans once more. But if it falters or is just mediocre in its performance, the theatrical/streaming release hedge will seem justified.

This was never going to be as big a box office hit as F1, but in light of a major win, it’s strange to see the same studio take a completely different approach to a Denzel Washington-led crime movie that otherwise has hit potential.