VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Poets Society’ Is Alive and Well

“Dead Poets Society” is a live wire in the home-video market, leaping to No. 3 after three weeks on the Billboard rental chart. All the attention it received during the Oscar sweepstakes--due to those best-picture and best-actor nominations--helped increase fan awareness, but this one appeared destined for rental success anyway. Movies that gross $95 million--such as “Dead Poets” did--always wind up as Top Five rentals. The Tom Selleck drama, “An Innocent Man,” seems to have peaked quickly after a fast start, slipping from No. 5 to No. 7. So far, “Cookie,” starring Peter Falk and Emily Lloyd, has been a modest rental hit, rising to No. 21.

* Many reviewers thought “The Abyss” was abysmal, particularly criticizing the creatures (shades of “Close Encounters”) encountered by the underwater search crew. But because of heavy hype and fan anticipation, it grossed $57 million. Though that’s a tidy box-office take, it doesn’t begin to pay all the bills piled up by this big-budget adventure. Despite good early rental business (No. 8 on the chart), it may not have much longevity.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” (Disney) 2 2 5 2. “Field of Dreams” (MCA) 1 1 5 3. “Dead Poets Society” (Touchstone) 9 28 3 4. “Parenthood” (MCA) 3 3 9 5. “Lethal Weapon 2” (Warner) 4 4 9 * “The Abyss” (CBS-Fox) 15 ... 2