TheMad Maxfranchise’s shockingly consistent Rotten Tomatoes scores, with the same level of critical acclaim across 45 years, prove thatFuriosadeserved to be a much bigger hit.Mad Maxis one of the only big movie franchises that’s been spearheaded by the singular vision of the same filmmaker through every single incarnation. George Miller began theMad Maxseries with his low-budget independent directorial debut in 1979. Across almost half a century, as the franchise has grown from gritty Australian thrillers to big-budget Hollywood blockbusters,Miller has guidedMad Maxevery step of the way.
What’s even more impressive is that Miller has kept the quality so consistent over more than four decades. George Lucas stuck with theStar Warssaga through the prequels, but they were met with a much more mixed reception than his original trilogy. Steven Spielberg returned to the director’s chair forIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but it was deemed a huge step down from the other movies. Miller’sMad Maxfilms are just as great today as they were in the ‘70s and ‘80s — andFuriosa’s Rotten Tomatoes scoresprove it.
They’re Both Sitting Comfortably At 90%
Furiosa’s critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is currently the exact same as that ofthe originalMad Maxfilm from 1979. They’re both sitting comfortably at a “fresh,” near-perfect score of 90%.Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorhas an even better RT score of 94%,Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomehas the franchise’s lowest rating with 79%, andMad Max: Fury Roadhas the franchise’s highest rating with 97%. These scores, all “fresh” and nowhere near the dreaded “rotten” threshold, suggest an astoundingly consistent quality that most franchises can only dream of.
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Four of the five movies that Miller has delivered in this franchise have a rating of 90% or higher, indicating almost universal acclaim from critics. EvenBeyond Thunderdome, widely considered to betheMad Maxseries’ only real low point, still has a more impressive score than most threequels. The identical RT scores of the originalMad Maxand the franchise’s latest installment,Furiosa, prove thatMiller’s filmmaking is just as sharp today as it was when he was a hungry young artist in 1979. Most directors have lost their touch after 45 years, especially working within the same franchise.
Furiosa’s Popcornmeter Score Is The Highest In The Entire Franchise
Furiosa’s score on the Popcornmeter (Rotten Tomatoes’ fancy new name for the audience score) is the highest in the entire franchise. With more than 1,000 verified ratings,Furiosa’s Popcornmeter score is sitting at 89%. The first movie has an audience score of 70%,The Road Warriorhas a more impressive audience score of 86%,Beyond Thunderdomehas the franchise’s only “rotten” score with a dismal 49%, andFury Road’s audience score matchesThe Road Warrior’s 86%. The other audience scores were all based on more ratings, butFuriosa’s is higher than all of them.
Furiosa Is A Future Classic, But It’ll Be Too Late For The Mad Max Spinoff Movie
People will eventually come around to love Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but they’ll have missed seeing it on the big screen, where it’s best appreciated.
Furiosa’s audience score blowsMad MaxandBeyond Thunderdome’s audience scores out of the water, and even outdoes the two movies that are considered to be the best this franchise has to offer,The Road WarriorandFury Road.Furiosa’s score suggests that audiences enjoyed it even more thanFury Road, which was hailed as one of the greatest theatrical experiences in cinema history. As a filmmaker, Miller keeps going from strength to strength. With each successiveMad Maxmovie, he learns new lessons that he takes onboard as he tackles the next one.
Furiosa Deserved Better At The Box Office
If Any Movie Demanded To Be Seen On The Big Screen, It Was Furiosa
The overwhelming positive reactions toFuriosaprove that it deserved to do so much better at the box office. When it was released into theaters in May,Furiosawas a box office bomb. There are a number of reasons why it underperformed. It arrived too late afterFury Roadto recapture its hype, theMad Maxfranchise has always had niche appeal at the box office, and the industry as a whole is struggling to get audiences out to theaters after acclimatizing them to streaming releases. ButFuriosareally didn’t deserve to be a flop.
10 Reasons Furiosa Underperformed At The Box Office Despite Its 90% Rotten Tomatoes Score
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been met with universally positive reviews and good word-of-mouth – so why is it underperforming at the box office?
If there was ever a movie that demanded to be seen on the big screen, it wasFuriosa.The vibrant colors and practical stunt work of Miller’s visceral, expertly staged action sequences were tailor-made for a theatrical viewing,Chris Hemsworth’s eccentric, larger-than-life performance as Dementusdominated a big multiplex screen.Furiosais easily one of the bestMad Maxmovies, and it’s a crying shame that more people didn’t make the trip to see it on the silver screen.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
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A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
