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 2 refer to the Max character at all, and all shied away from the fact that the film was a sequel. For the majority of viewers, their first inkling of "Road Warrior" being a sequel to "Mad Max" was when they saw the black and white, archival footage from the previous film, during the prologue. The film was a commercial success, earning $3.7 million in rentals in Australia. As "The Road Warrior" in North America, it was a greater success. The film earned $11.3 million in rentals and $23.6 million in grosses. Vestron Video capitalized by releasing "Mad Max" on video