OK, OK . . . But We <i> Still </i> Did Better Than Some of the Studios

Because the Sneaks issue of Sunday Calendar tries to predict the year’s biggest movies from a mid-January vantage point, looking back at how our picks panned out is always good for a laugh. And then there are years that aren’t so funny. Last year, for example.

We made one smart decision: We stuck our neck out and guessed that Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” would be popular. And we were right, to the tune of $341.3 million, so far. Our Sneaks ’93 cover creature turned out to be one of the year’s larger stars--”Jurassic” ’s T-Rex.

If only we had quit there.

In trying to predict the year’s top movies with photographs on page 3 of Sneaks ‘93, we had some luck: “In The Line of Fire” and “The Firm,” both summer hits that brought in $102 million and $158 million, respectively. We picked “The Age of Innocence,” which was at least a critical success, and “Rising Sun,” which had a strong opening weekend before sinking fast. Our other forecasts: the summer disappointments “Sliver,” “Poetic Justice” and “Last Action Hero.”

Throughout the issue we marked photos from movies we thought would be the year’s highlights. Our record?

Hit: Indecent Proposal”

Somewhere between a Hit and a Miss: “Sommersby,” “Falling Down,” “Hot Shots! Part Deux” and “Dennis the Menace.”

Trending toward a miss: “Fearless.”

Clear misses: “Mr. Jones,” “Born Yesterday,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “Hocus Pocus” and “M. Butterfly.”

Jury’s Still Out: “I’ll Do Anything.” Postponed to Sneaks ‘94, it opens Feb. 4.