VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Talking’s’ Future at Top Looks Dim

Looks like “Look Who’s Talking,” the No. 1 rental for most of two months on the Billboard chart, may not last another week on top. “Back to the Future Part II,” which zoomed to No. 2 in just three weeks, is the strongest challenger “Look Who’s Talking” has had during its reign. Normally, “The Little Mermaid” (No. 5) would have been the top rental by now, but, since it’s priced for the sales market, sales are cutting into rentals. Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” has been a modest hit so far, moving up two notches to No. 16 after two weeks on the chart. Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights” slipped a notch to No. 8, the poorest rental showing by a Murphy movie since he became a star in the early ‘80s. Debuts: “The Bear” (No. 19) and “Old Gringo” (No. 25).

* Though its box-office gross was hardly whopping ($18.1 million), the “Baker Boys” are big in the rental market. All the hype for Michelle Pfeiffer’s Oscar-nominated performance will pay off during the movie’s rental run. After debuting at No. 13, it jumped 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 8 2. “Back to the Future Part II” 9 36 3 (MCA/Universal) 3. “Black Rain” (Paramount) 3 3 7 4. “Sea of Love” (MCA/Universal) 2 2 7 5. “The Little Mermaid” (Disney) 4 6 4 * “The Fabulous Baker Boys” (IVE) 13 -- 2