Furiosawas a great addition to theMad Maxfranchise, but I believe it may have proved thatMad Max 5should not happen.Furiosa’s cast of characterstold a prequel story to 2015’sMad Max: Fury Road,centering around the titular character before she became Immortan Joe’s Imperator. By the time ofFuriosa’s explosive ending, the film served as a perfect way to bridge the gap between the original trilogy andMad Max: Fury Road, further fleshing out the fascinating world created by George Miller and the characters who inhabit it.
I admit that thetimeline of theMad Maxmoviesis overly confusing, yet this did not take away from the strengths ofFuriosa. The installment was a fantastic, more character-driven ride through The Wasteland, and naturally led many - myself included - to wonder what the status ofupcomingMad Maxmovieswas, notablyMad Max 5. However,despite my curiosity over the sequel toMad Max: Fury Road,Furiosamay have proven to me that another entry into the franchise is not necessary.
The first element ofFuriosathat made me ponder whetherMad Max 5should happen was how it compared toMad Max: Fury Road. While comparison between the two is likely unwise given the distinction between both films,Furiosa’s status as a prequel made it overly difficult not to hold it up against its chronological successor. This is not to say that it was a bad movie, as evident byFuriosa’s glowing reviewsand its status as one of my personal favorites of 2024. That said, I still do not think it was as good asMad Max: Fury Road.
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Admittedly, it is difficult to outline exactly why I preferredMad Max: Fury RoadoverFuriosa. Perhaps it was the former’s quicker pace, which relied little on slower character drama and propelled its main ensemble through their arcs with repeated breakneck action scenes. Maybe it was my relative freshness with theMad Maxfranchise in 2015 that made me prefer it over the now-familiar world ofFuriosa. Regardless of my reasoning,Furiosadid not quite live up to the standards set by its predecessor, something I believe would also be true forMad Max 5.
Tom Hardy’s Return Would Be Unlikely
One of the best decisions made byMad Max: Fury Roadended up being the recasting of the titular character. After being portrayed by Mel Gibson in the original three movies, Tom Hardy stepped into the role and solidified his status as a household name in Hollywood. Regardless of Hardy’s excellent performance, the character of Max Rockatansky would likely be recast once more shouldMad Max 5be made. The reasons for this are plenty, stemming from scheduling issues, Miller’s own views of the character, and the troubled production ofMad Max: Fury Road.
IfMad Max 5was to enter production and a recast was a reality, this would be yet another obstacle for the film to overcome…
At the center ofMad Max: Fury Roadwas a feud, primarily between lead actors Hardy and Charlize Theron, who played Furiosa. The differing acting styles of the two saw them often butt heads, with many members of the production crew also voicing discomfort over Hardy’s apparent difficulties due to his method-acting process. Although the two were said to have resolved their differences by the time ofFury Road’s release, it is unlikely they will ever work together again in the future.
The troubled, almost unbelievable production of the 2015 film was outlined in Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, a book by Kyle Buchanan.
Beyond this, Miller himself did not deny that Max may be recast in an interview withComicbook.com.When asked about the potentiality of recasting Max, Miller stated"We’ll have to see. I’m not even sure we’ll be doing it.“I am aware of how vague this answer is, yet it surely adds some fuel to the fire concerning Hardy’s recast. IfMad Max 5was to enter production and a recast was a reality, this would be yet another obstacle for the film to overcome.
The Commercial Failure Of Furiosa Bodes Ill For The Franchise’s Future
Aside from other, more personal reasons as to why I do not thinkMad Max 5should happen, there are some hard facts to support this:Furiosa’s box office.Mad Max: Fury Roadwas never an overwhelming success, yet it earned just enough to be classed as a movie worth making. Evidently, this led to studios backing Miller’s prequel idea, though this may have proven to be a mistake.
Furiosa’s Box Office Explained: What The Hell Happened With The Mad Max Prequel?!
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga performed poorly in its opening weekend and is shaping up to be one of the biggest box office disappointments of 2024.
Furiosabecame one of thebiggest box office bombs of 2024, grossly underperforming not only in comparison to its predecessor but other movies of that year.Furiosaheld a production budget of $168 million and its worldwide box office returns only just managed to eclipse this number. While I, and many others, admit that a film of its quality deserved better, it is a depressing fact thatFuriosadid not resonate with general audiences across the world.
$168,000,000
$67,475,791
$104,960,453
$172,436.244
$185,000,000
$153,636,354
$214,661,167
$368,297,521
In a business that is becoming increasingly reliant on box office numbers,it is hard to imagine any studio taking a risk onMad Max 5afterFuriosa’s failure. Strong opening weekend numbers and longevity regarding total worldwide hauls are what guarantee sequels and franchises in modern Hollywood andFuriosa,unfortunately, possessed neither. I believe it could be possible for a director as talented as George Miller to persuade studios to do so, but the box office numbers forFuriosaraise some difficult questions over whetherMad Max 5would suffer a similar commercial fate.
The Two-Part Story Would Work As A Culminating Chapter To The Wasteland
Finally, it is worth exploring the story reasoning behind why I thinkMad Max 5may be better left behind. For one,Mad Max: Fury Roaddoes not inherently tease a sequel story. The film ends with Immortan Joe being killed, his tyranny over The Wasteland being demolished, Furiosa standing as a more benevolent leader of The Citadel, and Max walking away into the crowd, content that he has helped those who needed it. By the end ofMad Max: Fury Road, the world of the franchise is left in a much more hopeful place than its beginning.
The World Of Furiosa & Mad Max Fury Road Explained
Filmmaker George Miller is perhaps best known for being the visionary behind the Mad Max universe and lore, which includes both Fury Road and Furiosa.
Furiosa’s story only benefitted this ending. Not only did it explain the backstory of the titular character, but it effectively ended her two-story arc, one that began with her hatred of Dementus and culminated with her defeat of Immortan Joe and alliance with Max. As a two-part story,FuriosaandMad Max: Fury Roadwork effortlessly together. Naturally, the question I have is whether a third film - a fifth mainlineMad Maxmovie - would tarnish this tale.
It is possible thatMad Max 5could work, but aside from the aforementioned issues, I wonder whether it is best to leaveMad Max: Fury Road’s ending as a hopeful one.Furiosa’s betterment of its sequel’s ending moments only reinforced this view for me, leading me to be even more certain thatMad Max 5may not be needed after all. While I am not saying I would be upset should a fifth film be officially announced, I believeFuriosatook the franchise neatly to a paradise that Immortan Joe’s War Boys could only dub as Valhalla.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Cast
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
