Mad Max: Fury Road Opened on This Lovely Day Five Years Ago

George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road raced into domestic theaters five years ago today on May 15, 2015, pitting post-apocalyptic warrior Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) and soldier-survivalist Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) against the furious forces of War Boys cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The over-the-top chase action thriller was well-received when it opened in a moviegoing season dominated by other blockbuster sequels, roaring into theaters weeks after Furious 7 and Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron, before going on to top critics' lists as one of the best films of the 2010s: Variety ranked Fury Road the third best film of the decade, behind only The Social Network and La La Land, and the film was hailed by Empire Magazine as the best film of the 21st Century.

"In retrospect, I didn't have enough empathy to really, truly understand what he must have felt like to step into Mel Gibson's shoes," Theron recently told The New York Times of the franchise star who played Max in Miller's original three films. "That is frightening! And I think because of my own fear, we were putting up walls to protect ourselves instead of saying to each other, 'This is scary for you, and it's scary for me, too. Let's be nice to each other.' In a weird way, we were functioning like our characters: Everything was about survival."

Added Hardy, "I think in hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced, partner in me. That's something that can't be faked. I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion."

A prequel, centered on a younger Furiosa but without Theron, has been developed by Miller. The filmmaker earlier revealed other plans for more Mad Max down the road.