Mad Max received a polarized reception upon its release in April 1979, although it won three AACTA Awards and attracted a cult following, while its critical reputation has grown since. Filmed on a budget of A$0.4 million, it earned more than US$100 million worldwide in gross revenue, and held the "Guinness" record for most profitable film. The success of "Mad Max" has been credited for further opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films. The film became the first in the "Mad Max" series, giving rise to three sequels, "Mad Max 2" (1981), "Beyond Thunderdome" (1985), and "" (2015). "A
Mad Max: Fury Road publishing a comic book prequel limited series. Each issue focuses on the backstory of one or two of the film's characters. The first issue, titled "Mad Max: Fury Road - Nux and Immortan Joe #1", was released on 20 May. The second, "Mad Max: Fury Road - Furiosa #1", was released on 17 June. The third, "Mad Max: Fury Road - Mad Max #1", was released on 8 July. The final issue, "Mad Max: Fury Road - Mad Max #2", was released on 5 August. A single-volume collection containing the stories of all four issues was released on 26 August.