Mad Max (franchise) Mad Max (franchise) Mad Max is an Australian dystopian action media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with "Mad Max", and was followed by three films: "Mad Max 2" (1981), "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" (1985) and "" (2015). Mel Gibson starred in the first three films and Tom Hardy took over as Max in the fourth film. The series follows the adventures of Max Rockatansky, a police officer in a future Australia which is experiencing societal collapse due to war and critical resource shortages. When his wife and child are murdered by a vicious
Mad Max 2 ownership after being bought by Filmways, Inc. a year earlier. AIP's problems affected the release of the film and its box office in the US, although "Mad Max" proved much more successful when released internationally. Warner Bros. decided to release "Mad Max 2" in the United States, but they recognised that the first film was not popular in North America. Although the original "Mad Max" was becoming popular through cable channel showings, Warner Bros. decided to change the name of its sequel to "The Road Warrior". The advertising for the film, including print ads, trailers, and TV commercials, did not