Apparently Mad Max Fury Road is the focus of #HATMAus tonight. Here is my strange but true story of the first Mad Max film (I did a uni history essay on the first three films)

I lived next door to a bloke whose father worked for an insurance company. One of their things was providing insurance for films. They had George Miller and Byron Kennedy seeking insurance for Mad Max.

On reflection, it was a pretty risky deal, giving insurance for the first Mad Max film, because the stunts were crazy, dangerous and massively risky. However, the company agreed, but there was a problem. Miller and Kennedy couldn’t afford the premium.

So, instead of paying a premium, Miller and Kennedy offered a percentage of the box office instead. My neighbour’s father thought that might be a reasonable deal, so they agreed. And then they heard nothing else - no claims were made, all was ok. A miracle, really.

Some time later, cheques started arriving at the insurance company, without any accompanying note or explanation. After a little bit of investigation, it was discovered that they were royalty cheques from Mad Max. Lots of them, from lots of countries, including Japan.

Mad Max was borne of a risky insurance deal that both ensured it got made, and an insurance company that brought in a lot more than a premium. What a sketchy time it was in the late 70s / early 80s.