A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : VIDLAND : And the Seats Aren’t Cold Yet

Faster than a speeding arrow, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” is going from its successful summer theatrical release to video stores by the end of October.

And that’s not all. Two of summer’s other top theatrical hits will appear on video by December: “City Slickers” from New Line Home Video, and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” priced for rental, from Live Home Video.

All this speed is uncommon in video circles, where releases of hit films usually take six months or longer after a movie has opened in theaters. Two of last fall’s major box-office successes, Kevin Costner’s “Dances With Wolves” and the comedy “Home Alone,” for instance, are only now reaching video store shelves.

What is “Robin Hood’s” hurry? Could it be that the folks at Warner Home Video want to ride on the crest of Costner’s “Dances With Wolves” popularity?

That may have something to do with it, said one source at Warner, which will release “Robin Hood” Oct. 30, priced to sell at $24.98. But in fact, the marketing strategy is similar to Warner’s 1989 release of “Batman.” Like “Robin Hood,” “Batman” set the box-office ablaze during summer and was out in video stores, priced for sale, by Nov. 15.

The reason for the quickness in both cases is the fourth quarter, when video sales typically are at their peak for the year. “It worked for ‘Batman,’ ” says the source, “and the hope is that lightning will strike twice.”