VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Talking’ Stays Strong Amid Action Movies

The reign of “Look Who’s Talking” may continue through the end of the month on the Billboard magazine rental chart. But the steamy “Sea of Love” (No. 2) does have a shot at toppling “Talking” in the next week or two. With “Sea of Love,” “Black Rain” (No. 4) and “The Abyss” (No. 5), there’s an unusual overload of action-dramas in the Top Five. Another action-drama, “Next of Kin”--starring rental-market favorite Patrick Swayze--is moving up fast (No. 9) and could crack the Top Five next week. “A Dry White Season,” the drama about race relations in South Africa, is doing good rental market business (No. 15).

* Last year’s critically-acclaimed, low-budget surprise hit ($24.6 million box-office gross), “sex, lies and videotape” is No. 11 after two weeks on the chart. This kind of murky, sordid drama, without any big-name clout, wouldn’t usually make the Top Five, but all the publicity this movie got last year could possibly boost it into the elite circle.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Look Who’s Talking” 1 2 4 (RCA/Columbia) 2. “Sea of Love” 4 9 3 (MCA/Universal) 3. “Dead Poets Society” 2 1 7 (Touchstone) 4. “Black Rain” (Paramount) 5 12 3 5. “The Abyss” (CBS-Fox) 3 4 6 * “sex, lies and videotape” 14 ... 2 (RCA/Columbia)