To be fair, it’s likely a possible sequel would play in China this time. It didn’t play at all in China, and the (allegedly) $185m budgeted flick earned a just-okay $379m worldwide, or less than Snow White and the Huntsman ($394m worldwide in 2012). It earned ten Oscar nominations, winning six, but it didn’t go mad overseas. But even with rave reviews and sky-high buzz, the Tom Hardy/ Charlize Theron post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy was not a blowout hit. Yes, Mad Max: Fury Road, however it got made, was the best movie of 2015 and a strong candidate for “best action movie ever.” Its solid domestic run ($153 million from a $46m debut) was far more about the quality of this fourth Mad Max movie than in any interest or fandom of the Mad Max IP. But even absent the litigation and hurt feelings, a Fury Road sequel wouldn’t remotely be a sure thing. To be fair, Peter Jackson fought New Line for years over compensation for Lord of the Rings before the parties settled and Jackson directed the three Hobbit prequels to the tune of $2.9 billion worldwide on a combined $650m-$750m budget.

Either way, the story is being framed as George Miller being prevented from making two more Mad Max sequels with Warner Bros. I would argue that the overall quality of the finished film implies either the filmmakers won at least some battles with the studio or that some of the WB-mandated reshoots were a net-positive.

Mad max fury road budget