VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Talking’ Still Tops; ‘Mermaid’ Rising

“Look Who’s Talking,” the comedy starring Kirstie Alley and John Travolta, continues to lead the Billboard magazine rental chart and may have several weeks left on top. The Eddie Murphy comedy “Harlem Nights” jumped from No. 39 to No. 12. Another comedy, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” featuring Chevy Chase, raced up to No. 7 on the chart in two weeks but didn’t do as well last week as expected, moving up just five places from No. 12. Being No. 7 after two weeks is fine for the average hit comedy but this blockbuster should be No. 2 or No. 3 by now. Maybe releasing a Christmas movie in summer wasn’t the way to maximize this movie’s rental potential. The movie that should take a massive leap into the Top 10 next week is “Back to the Future Part II,” which entered the rental chart at No. 36. The recent release of “Part III” will help rekindle interest in “Part II.”

* Priced at $26.99, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” will do bang-up business in the sales market. But this animated feature, which grossed over $75 million at the box-office, will also be one of the summer’s biggest rentals. After last week’s debut at No. 29, “Mermaid” zoomed up to No. 6.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Look Who’s Talking” (RCA/Columbia) 1 1 6 2. “Sea of Love” (MCA/Universal) 2 2 5 3. “Black Rain” (Paramount) 3 4 5 4. “Dead Poets Society” (Touchstone) 4 3 9 5. “sex, lies, and videotape” 5 11 4 (RCA/Columbia) * “The Little Mermaid” (Disney) 29 ... 2