Video Rental Chart : ‘Silence’ Knocks Off ‘Godfather’

“The Godfather Part III,” the big noise on the Billboard magazine rental chart in the past month, was silenced by the thriller “The Silence of the Lambs,” the new rental-chart topper. The “Godfather” sequel slipped to No. 5. The runners-up to “Lambs”--”Robin Hood” and “Fantasia”--may not make it to the top. Both are available at buyer-oriented prices, mostly $15-$20, which cuts down on rental-market business. The special-effects filled epic about Chicago firefighters, “Backdraft,” arguably the best new action-adventure movie on the market, could be the next No. 1 rental. Some retailers are already claiming that this movie, which shot up to No. 4, is their top rental. “Mortal Thoughts,” a thriller co-starring Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, did decent box-office business ($18 million) and is also doing good rental business--No. 12 after two weeks.

* The hot new comedy in the rental market is “What About Bob?” the sleeper hit ($67 million at the box office) about a psychiatrist (Richard Dreyfuss) who’s hounded by a clinging patient (Bill Murray), is headed for the Top Five. It debuted at No. 33 last week and jumped to No. 8.

Ranking Ranking 2 Weeks Top Rentals Last Week Ago 1. “The Silence of the Lambs” (Orion) 2 9 2. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (Warner) 3 33 3. “Fantasia” (Disney) 10 25 4. “Backdraft” (MCA/Universal) 34 ... 5. “The Godfather Part III” (Paramount) 1 1 * “What About Bob?” (Touchstone) 33 ...

Weeks On Rental Top Rentals Chart 1. “The Silence of the Lambs” (Orion) 3 2. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (Warner) 3 3. “Fantasia” (Disney) 3 4. “Backdraft” (MCA/Universal) 2 5. “The Godfather Part III” (Paramount) 5 * “What About Bob?” (Touchstone) 2