Short answers, pulled from the story.
Director George Miller abandoned a project called Roxanne in Los Angeles to make Mad Max 2. He had been working on that script with Terry Hayes for months before deciding to create the sequel.
Principal photography began in the winter of 1981 near Broken Hill. Filming took place over twelve weeks in the Outback of New South Wales.
Warner Bros decided to release Mad Max 2 in the United States under the new title The Road Warrior. Advertising materials did not refer to the Max character at all during this American campaign.
Worldwide totals reached $36 million making it the highest-grossing Australian film globally. In the United States, the film earned US$23.6 million with theatrical rentals reaching $11 million.
The film won five categories including Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design. It received the most nominations and wins of any film at that ceremony.