Mad Max 2 and subtitling it "the thrilling predecessor to "The Road Warrior"." Despite the title change, grosses from the US release were on par with other countries. Warner Bros. felt comfortable to keep the title of the third "Mad Max" film, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", intact for that film's American release. "Mad Max 2" received positive reviews and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of 1981. The film holds a 98% rating based on 42 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes with and average rating of 8.4/10 and with the consensus, ""The Road Warrior" is everything a bigger-budgeted Mad
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