Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
The Kernel take
A 90 Kernel Score ("Universal Acclaim") makes Fury Road one of the best-reviewed action films of its decade, but on a $150M budget alone (marketing spend isn't available) it returned only about 2.5× that at the worldwide box office — a much tighter commercial margin than its reception might suggest, especially once P&A and the exhibitor's cut are factored in.
Director track record: George Miller
Fury Road's 90 is George Miller's best-reviewed film in this set, well above his 64-point average across these eleven features and far ahead of his next-best, Lorenzo's Oil (80).
Lead track record: Tom Hardy
Fury Road's 90 towers over Tom Hardy's 63-point average across these roles — the best-reviewed film in this sample, ahead of his next-best, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (85).
Box office
Budget $150M · Box office $379.4M
A roughly 3.4× domestic multiplier is solid, but the steep -45.8% second-weekend drop is a classic front-loaded action-blockbuster pattern — Fury Road made most of its money in the first month before falling off quickly, typical for a big action wide release rather than a slow-building awards or horror hit.