VIDEO RENTALS : Will ‘Death’ Overtake ‘Ghost’?

After only three weeks in the stores, martial artist Steven Seagal’s “Marked for Death” gets its first shot at rousting “Ghost” from its roost atop Billboard magazine’s video rental chart. The first round goes to “Ghost,” holding on to No. 1 for the (yawn) sixth straight week. Are Seagal’s macho moves strong enough to take down the wider-appeal, high-spirited romance? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, box-office bomb “The Bonfire of the Vanities” continues its surprisingly strong rental run, moving into the Top 5 following its No. 12 debut last week, with “Rocky V” hot on its heels, jumping from a No. 14 debut last week to No. 6 this week. The biggest gainer: Disney’s delightful “The Jungle Book” skips all the way from a No. 36 entry last week to a strong No. 9.

* Despite the presence of Debra Winger and John Malkovich, “The Sheltering Sky’s” slow, cerebral pace proved gloomy at the box office (a paltry $2.1 million), and the forecast isn’t much brighter for rentals. Still, the stars help give it a respectable but unspectacular debut at No. 29.

Ranking Ranking 2 Weeks Top Rentals Last Week Ago 1. “Ghost” (Paramount) 1 1 2. “Marked for Death” (FoxVideo) 4 5 3. “Presumed Innocent” (Warner) 2 2 4. “Pacific Heights” (FoxVideo) 3 3 5. “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (Warner) 12 ... * “The Sheltering Sky” (Warner) ... ...

Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Chart 1. “Ghost” (Paramount) 7 2. “Marked for Death” (FoxVideo) 3 3. “Presumed Innocent” (Warner) 6 4. “Pacific Heights” (FoxVideo) 7 5. “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (Warner) 2 * “The Sheltering Sky” (Warner) 1