Although the The Mad Max franchise’s timeline has always been hard to follow, but the most recent installment in the series did nothing to make matters easier. According to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the prequel takes place 45 years after the apocalypse. However, 1979’s Mad Max takes place before the off-screen end of the world, which makes it hard to work out how Max is not in his late 60s by Fury Road.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Ending Explained
Furiosa ends in a way that ties up the title character's storyline, relaying her origins. We break down the biggest moments from Furiosa's ending.
Of course, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s budget and Mad Max’s price tag couldn’t be more different.
Every Mad Max Movie Has Cost More Than The Last Since The Road Warrior
The Road Warrior Started The Mad Max Franchise’s Gradual Budget Increases
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga cost a staggering $168 million, which was a considerable jump up from Fury Road’s $150 million. This, in turn, was a massive increase from the budget of 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, which cost only $10 million. In fairness, inflation does play a role, but this budget would still only amount to around $29 million in 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator. If the five-fold increase between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road seems high, it is worth noting that Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome's budget massively outdid its predecessor.
Mad Max franchise performance |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Title |
Year |
Approximate Budget |
Box Office |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Mad Max |
1979 |
$200,000 |
$100 million |
90% |
Mad Max: The Road Warrior |
1981 |
$2 million |
$36 million |
94% |
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome |
1985 |
$10 million |
$36 million |
79% |
Mad Max: Fury Road |
2015 |
$150 million |
$380.4 million |
97% |
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
2024 |
$168 million |
$173 million |
90% |
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome cost five times as much as 1980’s The Road Warrior, which was made for a mere $2 million. Astoundingly, this represented a tenfold increase in the budget of the original cult classic, which was made for only $200,000 in 1979. Mad Max was the most profitable movie ever made for years until The Blair Witch Project dethroned the Australian indie movie, which explains how The Road Warrior was able to get away with such an astronomical budget increase. However, just because the series can keep getting bigger, doesn’t necessarily mean that it should.
A New Mad Max Movie Cannot Cost More Than Furiosa After The Prequel Flopped
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s High Budget Didn’t Help Its Box Office Performance
Whenever the next Mad Max movie arrives, it must cost less than Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The large budget of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga contributed to its underperformance since the franchise didn’t offer viewers as big a gap between releases as Fury Road and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Fury Road had a similarly large budget, but the series had been off cinema screens for thirty years when that belated sequel arrived. In contrast, there were only nine years between Fury Road’s 2015 release and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s May 2024 arrival.
If ever happens, the sequel should stop the franchise’s trend toward ever-escalating budgets. The Mad Max series doesn’t need to get bigger with every new movie and, if anything, the series could benefit from revisiting its gritty origins. Part of what made Mad Max feel so fresh, vital, and brutal in 1979 was its stripped-back intensity, and a big budget would have polished the movie’s memorably rough edges. The Road Warrior was already much more commercial than its predecessor, whereas a new Mad Max movie with a smaller budget could be riskier and edgier.
Mad Max Going Back To Its Low Budget Roots Could Be Beneficial After Furiosa
The Mad Max Series Doesn’t Need To Be So Costly
Viewers come to the Mad Max series expecting action, and spectacular set pieces ittedly don’t come cheap. However, after outings like The Road Warrior and Fury Road, it is easy to forget how low on action and high on tension Mad Max is. 1979’s Mad Max is way darker than viewers , and it is missing much of the campiness that defined its sequels.
The franchise’s next installments could be smaller, simpler, and more straightforward.
This is a good thing, as it means future Mad Max sequels and prequels could borrow the original movie’s grounded style. After the blockbuster spectacle of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the franchise’s next installments could be smaller, simpler, and more straightforward. This approach would not only remind viewers of the original movie’s charm, but it would also afford the franchise a chance at financial success. The box office struggles of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga proves the Mad Max movies must undo The Road Warrior’s big change and think small once more.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
