Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga
revealed another side of the apocalyptic wasteland, but the film did deviate from the path of its predecessors, which was likely to the detriment of the franchise. While Mad Max films may be very well known, they have never made huge box office receipts except Mad Max: Fury Road (by using Numbers). The first films were successful not only because they were extremely cheap to produce, but also provided an outstanding return on investment. For example, the first film was made on a budget of $200,000, but it only earned $100 million at the worldwide box office.
Compared to modern records, Mad Max: Fury Road was able to gross an impressive $368 million at the box office, but the budget was significantly higher at $150 million. However, Furiosa barely managed to scrape together production costs of $168 million.which means that the film definitely lost big to the studios that made it. And while the film may have always been moving in this direction, there is one clear difference from the original trilogy, where Furiosa perhaps he made a mistake.
Furiosa demanded you watch Fury Road
Unlike all other Mad Max films
The entire original trilogy contained one central connection, Max Rockatansky. The character was a thrilling adventurer who lived in the middle of a desolate future dystopia, driving fast cars and fighting bizarre opponents with various mutations. However, although the films used similar visual styles and matching tones, the stories were not really connected. Anyone could watch the second or third film and enjoy it without the context of the other films.
Connected
Of course, Max, played by Mel Gibson, was the star of the show and he appeared in every film, but it didn't matter in what order the audience watched the films so that they would still enjoy themselves and be drawn into the stories individually. Meanwhile, Furiosa was inextricably linked with Mad Max: Fury Road. Yes, Furiosa it's a prequel, so the film actually offers context for expansion Fury Roadbut there is impossible to avoid connections between films. And for most franchises this is expected, but Mad Max clearly started out with a different set of rules.
Furiosa was always going to be a tough sell due to Fury Road's box office performance.
Furiosa's box office receipts have never been this big
While connecting stories is clearly not an issue when it comes to modern franchises, there is an issue when it comes to timing. Most sequels, and certainly the most successful franchises, tend to release new films on a regular basis. Whether that means one film every three years or three films a year, the success of a franchise is often measured by how often it can produce new, quality films. Furiosa came out almost ten years later Fury Roadwhich was simply too long for the films to have a meaningful connection and still hold an audience.
Of course, nostalgia can create higher demand, as seen with huge box office hits like Top Shot: MaverickBut Fury Road I've already used up the nostalgia points the series has accumulated. The original film came out 35 years ago, and with the proposal to bring back the main character, Mad Max: Fury Road managed to win over every enthusiastic fan of the series and many who have since fallen in love with the movie. But Furiosa didn't have a main character, it came at the wrong time and didn't generate any real excitement or enthusiasm.
The next Mad Max film should be as stand-alone as possible
Mad Max has some work to do to win back audiences
But beyond these potential pitfalls for Furiosa, Mad Max the films became something completely different within the first three films. They were eccentric, had a clear and distinct visual style, and made independent, exciting films. Did anyone tune in to see the original, or Mad Max outside of Thunderdomethey may be I'm sure they're in for a wild and exciting ride. Furiosa It may have had great visuals, but it wasn't what fans of the franchise loved.
Connected
So, if the franchise ever returns to the wasteland, the story needs to do two things. First, it must depict a hero. Max Rockatansky made the films what they are. As compelling and interesting as Furiosa's story was, these films were never about her story. And secondly, the film must stand as a standalone entry. It shouldn't be linked to other films, but rather aim to simply tell a compelling, original story with one character and one setting, just like the previous films did. If next Mad Max a film can do it, it will most likely succeed Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga both financially and in terms of its reception by the public.