Mad Max: Fury Road

"Fury Road" redirects here. For the wrestling event, see MLW Fury Road. For the prequel comic book, see Mad Max: Fury Road (comic book).

Mad Max: Fury Road
A man muzzled, standing and pointing a gun in one direction. A woman crouched beside him pointing her gun in the opposite direction. The title in large letters fills background.
Australian theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Miller
Written by
Based on
Characters
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byMargaret Sixel
Music byJunkie XL
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 7 May 2015 (2015-05-07) (TCL Chinese Theatre)
  • 14 May 2015 (2015-05-14) (Australia)
  • 15 May 2015 (2015-05-15) (United States)
Running time
120 minutes[4]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$154.6–185.2 million[8]
Box office$380.4 million[9]

Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 Australian[5] post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-produced, and directed by George Miller. Miller collaborated with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris on the screenplay. The fourth instalment in the Mad Max franchise,[10] it was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Kennedy Miller Mitchell, and distributed by Roadshow Entertainment in Australia and by Warner Bros. Pictures internationally. The film stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, with Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton in supporting roles. Set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where petrol and water are scarce commodities, Fury Road follows Max Rockatansky (Hardy), who joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Theron) against warlord Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne) and his army, leading to a lengthy road battle.

Miller came up with the idea for Fury Road in 1987,[11] but the film spent many years in development hell before pre-production began in 1998. Attempts to shoot the film in the 2000s were delayed numerous times due to the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, and controversies surrounding star Mel Gibson, leading Miller to recast Gibson's role of Max Rockatansky. Miller decided to pursue the film again in 2007, after the release of his animated comedy film Happy Feet. In 2009, Miller announced that filming would begin in early 2011. Hardy was cast as Max in June 2010, with production planned to begin that November. Principal photography was delayed several more times before it actually began in July 2012. The film wrapped in December 2012, although additional footage was shot in November 2013.

Fury Road premiered in Los Angeles on 7 May 2015, and was released in Australia on 14 May. It grossed $380.4 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing Mad Max film but incurring a net loss of $20–40 million with all expenses factored.[12] The film was nominated for ten awards at the 88th Academy Awards, winning six, and received numerous other accolades, including Best Film from the National Board of Review, and was also named one of the top ten films of 2015 by the American Film Institute. Retrospectively, it has been called one of the greatest action films of all time and one of the best films of the 2010s.

A self-titled prequel comic book series was published by Vertigo from 20 May to 5 August 2015, while following a pay dispute between Warner Bros. and Miller that delayed early efforts to produce follow-up projects. A prequel film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, was released on 24 May 2024, with Miller returning as writer and director.

  1. ^ a b "Mad Max: Fury Road". Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. ^ Gardner, Eriq (25 April 2018). "Warner Bros. Gets to Arbitrate 'Mad Max' Director George Miller's Bonus". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" Continues its Worldwide Ride, Crossing $300 Million". Warner Bros. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021. The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
  4. ^ "Mad Max: Fury Road". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Oscars: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Becomes Most-Nominated Australian Film Ever". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  8. ^ Maddox, Garry (14 April 2018). "Bitter court battle over Mad Max: Fury Road blocks two new movies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019. The production company has claimed Fury Road cost $US154.6 million; the studio claimed it blew out to $US185.1 million.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Filming1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Sharma, Atish (19 February 2024). "From Fury Road to Furiosa: Colin Gibson on his Mad Life and Fiery Gas Guzzlers". Homecrux. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference McClintock was invoked but never defined (see the help page).