Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (30 years)

George Miller is the only creator to maintain control over a franchise as long-running and successful as Mad Max. While he went off to make several critically acclaimed films and kids movies after Thunderdome (including Lorenzo’s Oil and the Babe and Happy Feet movies), he never forgot about the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, and finally brought it back — after an incredibly difficult shoot — with Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the most celebrated action movies ever made.

Though results were mixed at the box office — it was a hit, but an expensive one to make — but it earned widespread critical praise and ten Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, which is unheard of for the fourth movie in an action franchise. It won six.

It also spawned Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which has earned strong reviews but proved a box office letdown.