Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the fifth installment in George Miller's celebrated action franchise, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday night. The film was met with a seven-minute standing ovation in the Grand Lumiere Theatre as Miller and members of his cast, including stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, looked on.
Furiosa, a $168 million film, is set to be released by Warner Bros. in the U.S. on May 24. This release comes nine years after the previous installment, Mad Max: Fury Road, which starred Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. The original Mad Max film, released 45 years ago, was a massive success, grossing $100 million on a $350,000 budget.
Anticipation for Furiosa has been high, given the success of Fury Road, which received rave reviews and made $379 million worldwide. Fury Road also garnered 10 Oscar nominations and won six awards in below-the-line categories.
The Cannes premiere was a significant moment for Miller, who wrote the script for Furiosa as part of the development process for Fury Road. The film is a prequel set more than a decade before the events of Fury Road.
At Cannes, the cast and director were warmly welcomed. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth interacted with fans and posed for selfies. Baz Luhrmann, another Australian filmmaker, was in attendance and shared a hug with Miller after the premiere.
Furiosa stars Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa, a character originally portrayed by Theron in Fury Road. The film explores Furiosa's journey from her childhood home to her encounter with the Warlord of Dementus, played by Hemsworth.
Miller expressed his gratitude to the audience, stating, 'We worked very hard on this film, and it's been very interesting to see what you make of it.' The film's screenplay credits go to Miller, Brendan McCarthy, and Nick Lathouris.
