While Furiosa, the prequel to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, it’s been garnering a fair amount of praise from film enthusiasts.
The film, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, will be available for streaming on Max starting August 16. It premiered in theaters in May, receiving strong reviews but not achieving the commercial success many anticipated. With a global gross of $172 million, it barely surpassed its reported budget of $168 million.
This underwhelming performance has impacted Miller’s plans for the franchise, including a project called Mad Max: Wasteland, which was intended to continue the story of Max Rockatansky, the series’ main character. Although Miller expressed interest in exploring more stories from the Mad Max universe at Cannes, Tom Hardy, who played Max in Fury Road, isn’t overly optimistic about the future of the franchise.
Furiosa focuses on Taylor-Joy’s character, who faces numerous challenges on her journey to becoming The Imperator, a key figure in Immortan Joe’s army. The story follows her escape from the tyrannical warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, and her rise through sheer determination and combat prowess.
The film features Tom Burke in a breakout role as Praetorian Jack, and sees the return of actors like John Howard, Angus Sampson, Nathan Jones, and Josh Helman, reprising their roles from Fury Road. Due to Hugh Keays-Byrne’s passing, the role of Immortan Joe was recast with Lachy Hulme. Additionally, Australian actress Charlee Fraser, known for her role in the romantic comedy Anyone But You, plays Furiosa’s mother, Mary Jabassa.
