VIDEO RENTAL CHARTS : Bill Murray Takes the Holidays

In the home video rental market, this is definitely a Bill Murray Christmas. He stars in two of the top three movies on the Billboard rental chart, with “Scrooged” (No. 2) and “Ghostbusters II” (No. 3). Either one of these could bounce “Batman” out of the top spot before “When Harry Met Sally . . .”--a shoo-in for No. 1--hits the rental chart early next year. “Scandal,” the tawdry tale about Christine Keeler’s antics with politicians in early ‘60s Britain, is a fairly popular No. 18. But it’s the X-rated version of this movie, which grossed a modest $8.3 million, that’s in demand. It features 10 steamy minutes that were edited out of the R-rated version.

* ‘Tis the season to be jolly but Touchstone execs can’t be too happy with the rentals of “Ernest Saves Christmas.” So far this kids-oriented holiday movie hasn’t done the strong rental business they expected from a film that grossed $28 million. For several weeks, it’s been hanging around the middle of the Top 40 rental chart. This week it’s up two notches to No. 22. Has Ernest worn out his welcome with the kiddies? Many parents hope so.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks on Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Batman” (Warner) 1 5 3 2. “Scrooged” (Paramount) 2 8 4 3. “Ghostbusters II” (RCA/Columbia) 10 --- 2 4. “K-9” (MCA) 8 17 3 5. “Working Girl” (CBS-Fox) 4 1 9 * “Ernest Saves Christmas” (Touchstone) 24 28 4