20 Movies That Took HUGE Risks (And NAILED It)

A decade-plus removed from Mad Max: Fury Road, it's easy to understate just how much of a risk George Miller's franchise-redefining action masterpiece actually was.

Somehow, Miller convinced Warner Bros. to bankroll a $150 million sequel in a franchise who last entry was 30 years prior, and which underwhelmed both critically and commercially.

More to the point, Miller was well into his late '60s by the time shooting started and hadn't made an action film since the previous Max Max, while demanding an R rating from the studio.

Production was also fraught with issues due to both the remote location shoot and on-set fracas between Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, only for China to make its financial exposure worse by refusing to release the film.

And yet with all these circumstances conspiring against it, Mad Max: Fury Road released to universal acclaim, its kinetic action, stunning cinematography, stellar performances, and basically every other aspect of its production receiving staggering praise.

When Fury Road was announced, who could've ever anticipated that it would end up nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, ultimately winning six? 

While its $380.4 million box office haul was relatively modest, Fury Road is a film that categorically shouldn't have worked, and yet is destined to live on as a generational all-timer blockbuster.