I thought it was odd, and even a little eerie, when I found myself watching Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga entirely alone in a gigantic empty theater during a holiday weekend that’s supposed to kick off the big summer movie-going season.

But reportedly, in spite of Furiosa premiering in the number one spot, it’s a record-setting low for a number-one movie opening on Memorial Day weekend, unmatched (other than the year of the COVID lockdown) since Casper led a weak field back on the same holiday weekend in 1995. Just to give you an idea of how bad the “box-office meltdown” is, Furiosa just barely edged out The Garfield Movie for meager returns.

This is interesting, because Furiosa, George Miller’s sequel to his 2015 postapocalyptic fan-fave Mad Max: Fury Road, seemed as close to a guaranteed smash as could be dreamed up in Hollywood. Though if you actually read up on it, Fury Road — despite being a major critical hit and an object of obsessive fan adoration — was only modestly profitable.