Video Rental Chart : ‘Thelma & Louise’ Holds On

“Thelma & Louise” maintains its grip on the top spot of the Billboard magazine rental chart. According to some retailers, its rental appeal has been increasing steadily since the announcement of Oscar nominations a few weeks ago for stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Some also report more male renters (its audience has been primarily women) in the past few weeks, indicating the Oscar recognition is attracting renters who might have ignored the movie otherwise. “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” is still creeping up the chart, moving from No. 11 to No. 7. The box-office bomb “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” is doing surprisingly well in its first two weeks on video, moving up three notches to No. 13.

* “Barton Fink,” the satire on ‘30s and ‘40s Hollywood featuring John Turturro and John Goodman, didn’t do much at the box office--just over $1 million. Even winning top honors at last year’s Cannes Festival (best picture, director and actor) didn’t help. But Michael Lerner’s Oscar nomination for best supporting actor may boost rentals. It debuted at No. 35.

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1. “Thelma & Louise” 1 9 2. “The Rocketeer” 2 4 3. “Regarding Henry” 3 4 4. “Point Break” 4 7 5. “Hot Shots” 5 5 6. “Mobsters” 7 5 7. “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” 11 3 8. “Double Impact” 6 4 9. “Jungle Fever” 9 7 10. “City Slickers” 8 14 * “Barton Fink” ... 1