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 (soundtrack) optimistic picture, and it was really like a modern revival of an old Western," said May. "Whereas in "Mad Max" I had a jagged brass, very atonal and difficult to play, in "Mad Max 2" I had deep basses, cellos, and lots of short motifs that were not totally melodic but were just enough to be unified." The score also bears resemblance to the Western genre, featuring a refined orchestra that differs from the first film. It is also often compared to "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets". The manuscripts of the orchestrated cues