Mad Max: Fury Road makes $136m in opening weekend

Australian-made Mad Max: Fury Road was the most popular film globally in its opening weekend and the series’ biggest earner.

This photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Tom Hardy, as Max Rockatansky, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure film, “Mad Max:Fury Road," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Australian film Mad Max: Fury Road was the most popular film globally this weekend, earning A$136 million.

In one weekend, it became the highest-grossing Mad Max film of all time and it’s four day return became the biggest opening for a film by its director, George Miller, who also directed Babe: Pig In The City and the two Happy Feet films.

The return of the popular Road Warrior character, this time played by Brit Tom Hardy, opened at the top of the Australian box office this weekend, earning $6.19m on 542 screens across its opening weekend.

The film, also starring Charlize Theron, opened to broadly positive reviews and is expected to earn repeat business following strong word of mouth. It opened with US$44 million in North America, behind the cultural phenomenon, Pitch Perfect 2, starring Australian comedian Rebel Wilson.

Mad Max: Fury Road is likely to become the most popular Australian film of the year here. The Water Diviner has earned $10 million this calendar year and $15 million since its Boxing Day release.

The two biggest opening weekends in Australian cinemas this year have featured prominent Australian talent. The Avengers: Age of Ultron opened with $15.7 million three weeks ago; it stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor. And Fast and Furious 7, which opened with $14.6 million earlier this year, was directed by Aussie James Wan.

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