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 10, saying: "The over-the-top stunts and eccentric characters and designs are all hugely important to "Fury Road", ... but it's the overriding sense of the film's uniqueness, its striving to be something more than just another action movie, that is most impressive." The film has also been praised by scholars on several fronts. Feminist critics have praised the dominant role taken by Furiosa and the range of atypical female roles including the wives and the gun-toting Vuvalini, and disability studies scholars have commended the film for its positive, non-stigmatizing portrayals of physical and psychological disabilities. "Mad Max: Fury Road" was