VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Red October’ Hunts ‘Pretty Woman’

“Pretty Woman,” in its second week atop the Billboard rental chart, is already under attack from an able new challenger, “The Hunt for Red October.” One of the year’s strongest rental titles, “Red October” could climb to at least No. 2 next week--or maybe even splash “Pretty Woman” out of the top spot. And where did “Q&A;” get all this rental appeal? It barreled up to No. 4 in just two weeks. Starring Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton, this violent cop drama did just modest box-office business (gross: $10.5 million). “Miami Blues,” an offbeat thriller, debuted at No. 29. Though not a real box-office hit, look for this to do well in the rental market largely because it stars “Red October’s” Alec Baldwin.

* Priced at $22.95, this animated adventure, based on the ‘60s TV series, should be popular in the sales market throughout the holiday season. The movie’s box-office run, which generated a mild $17.6 million, was just to whet the appetites of youngsters for the video. “Jetsons” debuted at No. 27 but isn’t expected to do huge rental-market business.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Pretty Woman” 1 27 3 (Touchstone) 2. “Glory” (RCA/Columbia) 2 1 6 3. “Teenage Mutant Ninja 3 2 4 Turtles” (FHE) 4. “Q&A;” (HBO) 10 ... 2 5. “The Hunt for Red ... ... 1 October” (Paramount) * “Jetsons: the Movie” ... ... 1 (MCA/Universal)