TheMad Maxfranchise must be weighing its options since the release ofFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, and it should consider bringing back one element of the original movie.Furiosahad a disappointing run at the box office, leaving the franchise without a clear path to a sequel. While a strong performance would have made a follow-up inevitable, a shaky one seriously endangered it. But there is much life left in theMad Maxfranchise, which has shown promising creativity again and again. Noting one part of 1979’sMad Maxcould help it blossom and release another movie.
WhileFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagastepped back intheMad Maxtimelineto before the events ofMad Max: Fury Road, the nextMad Maxmovie could be set at any point. It is free to follow the trend set byMad Max: Fury Road, following Furiosa and her adventures, or to resume focus on Max.Furiosa’sbox office figures may suggest that focusing on Max is a safer bet for the nextMad Maxmovie than focusing on Furiosa. Either way,the nextMad Maxmovie should look to its very first release for inspirationas to its next move.
Lowering The Budget Would Enable A Sequel
With its low budget,the originalMad Maxmovie made box office historyby becoming the most profitable movie ever, which the nextMad Maxmovie should try and replicate. WhileFuriosawasn’t a hit,Fury Roaddidn’t do incredibly at the box office either. Perhaps Furiosa herself wasn’t the problem. Enabled by former revenue, the newerMad Maxmovies both look utterly stunning, but were incredibly expensive.Mad Maxis now the victim of its own success, but it could easily pitch a smart reboot with a low budget that targeted the easy profits of its first venture.
Mad Max: Fury RoadandFuriosautilized their high budgets exceptionally well, but they put the franchise on an unsustainable trajectory. Cinema-goers have not resumed the same habits they once had since COVID-19, and inflation has ensured that the environment is not the same as it was in 1979, or even in 2019. So,a movie as cheap asMad Maxcould not be madenow. ButFury RoadandFuriosarevealed theMad Maxworldin glorious detail, and a low-budget sequel, filling in some of the world’s blanks, may not be a terrible idea.
There’s An Important Lesson Future Mad Max Movies (& Hollywood) Can Learn From Furiosa
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was brilliant in many respects but made some mistakes that should be acknowledged by future movies, including Mad Max.
Brilliant things can be achieved without a huge budget in Hollywood, as movies likeThe Blair Witch Projectprove. Making every penny count inFuriosa’sfollow-up is a surefire way to avoid box office disappointment. Although expensive cars likeFuriosa’sCranky Black would be sorely missed,Mad Maxshould exploit its premise more. A post-apocalyptic biker movie can use scrap to build some of its creations and can focus on human drama and action, limiting practical effects as much as possible.Mad Madmoviesdon’t need a huge budget, and a cheaper movie could facilitate a future forMad Max.
Mad Max
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
