VIDEO RENTAL CHARTS : Poor Timing Leaves ‘Parenthood’ No. 2

Director Ron Howard’s comedy/drama “Parenthood” certainly would be No. 1 on the Billboard rental chart if it had come out at a different time, when there were no blockbusters like “Lethal Weapon 2” and the third “Indiana Jones” hogging the top of the chart. As it is, the popular “Parenthood” powered its way to No. 2, past “Indiana Jones.” But “Parenthood” may not reach No. 1. The competition gets even tougher later this month, as another bevy of blockbusters--”Field of Dreams,” “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and “Dead Poets Society”--begin to crash the Top Five.

Are horror fans in the rental market getting tired of Jason, the homicidal maniac in “Friday 13th” series? The eighth installment didn’t jump up the chart as expected. After debuting last week at No. 25, it didn’t jump at all--staying at No. 25.

* Fast-paced thrillers like “The Package,” which stars Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, usually do well in the rental market, especially when there’s little competition in the thriller market. Such was the case with “The Package,” which jumped to No. 11 this week.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Lethal Weapon 2” (Warner) 1 2 4 2. “Parenthood” (MCA) 4 5 4 3. “Indiana Jones” (Paramount) 2 1 5 4. “Turner and Hooch” (Touchstone) 3 - 3 6 5. “Uncle Buck” (MCA) 5 4 6 * “The Package” (Orion) 17 ... 2