VIDEO CHARTS

“Lethal Weapon,” the violent police thriller starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, may be an even bigger rental hit than expected. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine rental chart--a rare achievement. “Tin Men,” the nostalgic comedy featuring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, entered the chart at No. 11. It looks like it has Top 5 potential. The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” retailing for $29.95, jumped to No. 12 on the sales chart, which measures sales to retailers and distributors. Stores are stocking up on this one because it promises to be a big seller during the holiday season. Other sales charts: “Lady and the Tramp” and “An American Tail” head the kidvid chart, “The Making of the ‘Touch of Grey’ Video and More” tops the music videocassette chart, and “The Best of Football Follies” is No. 1 on the recreational sports chart.

* Insiders predicted instant rental-market success for “Project X,” the sentimental drama about a pilot (Matthew Broderick) assigned to a project lethal to chimps. The forecasters were right. It debuted at No. 9 on the rental chart. There’s been a lot of publicity about charges of mistreatment to the chimps by their trainers during filming, but nothing has been proven. It’s unknown whether the animal-abuse controversy has affected the movie’s rental business.