‘Twins’ Scores With Renters

“Twins,” which burst onto the Billboard magazine rental chart at No. 5, should easily be the most popular rental over the coming holiday weekend. Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as oddball siblings, this comedy earned more than $106 million at the box office. Look for it to replace “Coming to America” as the No. 1 rental in the next week or two. The comedy “My Stepmother Is an Alien” jumped from No. 14 to No. 6 and should crack the Top Five. That’s a surprisingly strong rental showing for a film that grossed $13 million (much lower than expected) in theaters and was trashed by critics.

* Speaking of odd couples, James Caan and Mandy Patinkin star in “Alien Nation” as cops--one human (Caan) and the other from Outer Space (Patinkin)--who are chasing crooked aliens in futuristic Los Angeles. This unorthodox cop thriller, which grossed $24.7 million, entered the chart at No. 15 and has definite Top Five potential.

VIDEO CHARTS

Rental Rental Weeks Top Ranking Ranking 2 on Rental Rentals Last Week Weeks Ago Chart 1.”Coming to America” 1 1 5 (Paramount) 2.”The Accused” 2 2 7 (Paramount) 3.”Cocktail” 3 3 10 (Touchstone) 4.”Big” 4 4 13 (CBS-Fox) 5.”Twins” ... ... 1 (MCA) *”Alien Nation” ... ... 1 (CBS-Fox)