“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” was one of the films in 2024 that kept the impressive trend of the Mad Max franchise going despite its disappointing box office performance. After the 2015 epic film Mad Max: Fury Road, this time Anya Taylor-Joy took to the screen as the protagonist instead of Tom Hardy. This film was not a chronological sequel, nor did Tom Hardy play the lead role, but it was a prequel that delves deeper into the story of the character Furiosa. Although the film did not perform as expected at the box office, its features and star cast give it an important place in the history of this franchise. Mad Max: The Wasteland—The next film, which has been postponed for now, will still add to the shine of this historic franchise.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: Moving in a New Direction
Chris Hemsworth played a new villain in the world of Mad Max, where he set a new standard as Dementus. With this iconic character, he proved his worth amongst the characters who had already made their mark as Mad Max villains. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was created from day one by George Miller, the mastermind behind the franchise.
It not only gave the audience a great story but also introduced a new twist in the Mad Max timeline. However, there was some skepticism among the audience about Furiosa, as many wanted a deeper exploration of Tom Hardy’s character of Max Rockatansky. Still, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga continued the highest critical standards the franchise had already set, proving that this film is capable of holding its own.
“2024’s Mad Max movie continues series’ success on Rotten Tomatoes.”
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga—Critic Praise Again
Each film in the Mad Max franchise has made a mark with critics, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is no different from that tradition. Anya Taylor-Joy impressed with her stellar performance in the film, as evidenced by its critical reviews. Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth’s chemistry as the hero-villain duo was strong, and critics also praised the film’s spectacular sets and vehicles.
Furiosa received a whopping 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which maintains the same Mad Max quality as Fury Road’s 97% rating. Interestingly, the first Mad Max film released in 1979 also received similar levels of praise as Furiosa, when Mel Gibson played Max in this groundbreaking action film.
The Failure of Furiosa: Why It Was the Best Mad Max Film, Yet Flopped
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga did not get the commercial success it deserved. The downturn in the cinema world due to the COVID-19 pandemic also affected the film’s prospects. Also, the film had some risky decisions, which made it difficult to connect with mainstream audiences. Prequel films have not performed as well as before in the last few years.
Although Star Wars: A Phantom Menace started the trend of prequels in fantasy and science fiction, the beginning was surrounded by controversy. Still, prequels and spinoff films carry risk. Especially when you remove the main character of an iconic franchise, such as Max Rockatansky, it poses a challenge in bringing audiences back to the cinema.
| Movie Title | Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|
| Mad Max | 90% |
| Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior | 93% |
| Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | 85% |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | 93% |
| Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | 90% |
Reasons for the box office failure of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
There were many reasons behind Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s failure at the box office, and one important reason was its competition. In the tough times following the global economic crisis, the film had to compete with other big films like Garfield during its release. Also, the film becoming available on VOD (video on demand) shortly after its theatrical release also hurt Furiosa’s success. Due to the financial constraints, many movie-going audiences opted to watch it at home, which directly affected the box office revenue. Given these challenges, it may be necessary for Mad Max 6 to adopt a new and better release strategy.
