Once again, cinema success is spelled p-r-e-d-i-c-t-a-b-l-e

Critics grouse about Hollywood's love of the tried and true, but ultimately that's just what the audience wants. Proof: this holiday season's movie-attendance figures. The big disappointments were all thematically adventurous: Leap of Faith (Steve Martin as an evangelist), Hoffa (Jack Nicholson as a labor leader), Malcolm X (Denzel Washington as a civil rights activist) and Toys (Robin Williams as...whatever he was).

Hits: Aladdin (the only animated offering in the pack, grabbing $114 million), A Few Good Men (Tom Cruise=$55 million), The Bodyguard (Kevin Costner=$88 million, despite intense critical pummeling) and Home Alone 2, the failure-proof sequel that has rung up $146 million, already placing it in the top three of 1992's big earners, along with Batman Returns and Lethal Weapon 3--also sequels that offered more of the same.

The $5 billion in tickets purchased made 1992 one of Hollywood's best years ever. The downside is that ticket prices were generally higher. Translation: fewer tickets sold. Small wonder, considering such predictable bombs as Far and Away (Cruise with a dreadful Irish accent in 19th century Oklahoma) and Newsies (Disney's appalling revival of the movie-musical) and surprising failures like The Distinguished Gentleman, featuring Eddie Murphy in a tailor-made role as a corrupt Congressman. Apparently his biggest fans won't accept him as anything but a sassy inner-city cop named Axel Foley.