There was an understandable fear that 2024 would be a grim year for the movies, but it turned out that 2024 was really just a grim year for everything else. Phew!

Of course, some concerns about the state of the film industry did come to fruition. The strikes threatened to significantly reduce the number of movies that Hollywood was able to release in theaters, and there were indeed several weeks in which consumers were left with little to choose from at their local multiplex. That crisis was inexplicably exacerbated by audiences and studios alike; it was bad enough that nobody showed up for the greatest blockbuster since “Top Gun: Maverick” (“Furiosa“), and even worse that Warner Bros. didn’t give people the chance to show up for the greatest Clint Eastwood drama since “The Mule” (“Juror #2“).

At the same time, however, we’ve known since Sundance that rumors of 2024’s awfulness — which...