VIDEO RENTALS : ‘Pretty Woman’ Still a Knockout

That was quick. “Total Recall” was just on top of the Billboard magazine rental chart for one week. “Pretty Woman” moved back to the top after a week at No. 2. But it may not reign too long, since the competition from all those macho action movies is pretty stiff. Still, “Pretty Woman,” the only movie in the Top 10 with strong appeal to female renters, is striking a blow for the power of women--and romance--in the rental market. “Bird on a Wire,” featuring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, moved up four notches to No. 5. Brimming with No. 1 potential, “Bird” may not be strong enough to breeze past this crop of contenders. “Cadillac Man,” starring Robin Williams, is off to a fast start--cruising up to No. 8 in just two weeks. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (No. 7) is causing a lot of talk within the industry because some video stores are low on rental copies due to fanatical fans buying them up--even at the $90 price tag. With the title on moratorium, new copies aren’t available.

* “Another 48 HRS.,” starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, is another of last summer’s movies that was expected to crack the $100-million mark at the box office but didn’t. It settled for a “paltry” $80 million. But Murphy is such a big name in the rental market that this one--No. 6 after two weeks--has a good shot at the top spot.

Ranking Weeks Ranking 2 Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Last Week Ago Chart 1. “Pretty Woman” (Touchstone) 2 1 7 2. “Total Recall” (Carolco) 1 3 4 3. “The Hunt for Red October” 3 2 5 (Paramount) 4. “Back to the Future III” 4 6 3 (MCA/Universal) 5. “Bird on a Wire” (MCA/Universal) 9 ... 2 * “Another 48 HRS.” (Paramount) 25 ... 2