Video Rentals : ‘Bride’ Surges as ‘Fear’ Premieres

Action/thriller fans have been eagerly awaiting “Cape Fear,” the first big-budget, big box-office ($76 million) film in the genre since “The Last Boy Scout” came out in April. “Cape Fear,” featuring Robert De Niro (best actor Oscar nomination) and Nick Nolte, premiered on the Billboard magazine rental chart at No. 5 and will battle the surging “Father of the Bride” (No. 11 to No. 2) for the top spot during the next few weeks. “JFK’s” days as chart leader are numbered. But don’t rule out “My Girl” as a No. 1 possibility. Featuring Macaulay (“Home Alone”) Culkin, who has an enormous following in the pre-teen and early-teen bracket, it jumped from No. 8 to No. 3.

* This romantic comedy/drama, featuring Alan Rickman, covers some of the same territory as “Ghost.” A critical favorite, it made many sleeper-of-the-year lists but didn’t do much at the box office. With a word-of-mouth boost, it could do decent rental business. It premiered at No. 38.

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1. “JFK” 1 3 2. “Father of the Bride” 11 2 3. “My Girl” 8 2 4. “Frankie & Johnny” 2 6 5. “Cape Fear” ... ..1 6. “The Last Boy Scout” 3 8 7. “The Butcher’s Wife” 5 4 8. “For the Boys” 13 2 9. “The Fisher King” 4 12 10. “Freejack” 6 5 * “Truly, Madly, Deeply” --- 1

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.