VIDEO RENTAL CHARTS : ‘Lethal Weapon’ Blows ‘Em Away

“Lethal Weapon 2” zapped “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” out of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard magazine rental chart. But this duel of last summer’s box-office blockbusters is far from over. The top spot is likely to change hands again once or twice before this battle runs its course. Don’t be surprised if “Indiana Jones” claws its way back to the top next week. Meanwhile “Parenthood” (No. 4)--a shoo-in for No. 1 under normal circumstances--may never reach the top, particularly with “Field of Dreams” entering the competition next week. “Breaking In” didn’t do much at the box office--$1.8 million--but HBO is looking to capitalize in the rental market on Burt Reynolds’ rave reviews, easily the best of his career. Many fans, not realizing that this subtle film, which debuted at No. 24, is not the typical Reynolds macho melodrama, are likely to rent it anyway.

* The endless “Friday the 13th” series continues to do decent box-office business--$14.3 million--and still has rental appeal as well, with VIII entering the chart at No. 25. Jason probably has enough fans to push this one into the Top 15.

Ranking Ranking 2 Weeks Top Rentals Last Week Ago 1. “Lethal Weapon 2” (Warner) 2 5 2. “Indiana Jones” (Paramount) 1 3 3. “Turner and Hooch” (Touchstone) 3 1 4. “Parenthood” (MCA) 5 12 5. “Uncle Buck” (MCA) 4 4 * “Friday the 13th Part VIII” (Paramount) ... ...

Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Chart 1. “Lethal Weapon 2” (Warner) 3 2. “Indiana Jones” (Paramount) 4 3. “Turner and Hooch” (Touchstone) 5 4. “Parenthood” (MCA) 3 5. “Uncle Buck” (MCA) 5 * “Friday the 13th Part VIII” (Paramount) 1