National Video Rentals : Lethal Top 5 Holds ‘Lethal’ at Bay

“Lethal Weapon 3” a lowly No. 6? Hard to believe, but this blockbuster buddy-cop movie, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, has not yet reached No. 1 after two weeks on the rental chart. That’s because of the lethal competition in the Top 5. Normally, this movie would have bounded into the top spot, but “Sister Act” and “Patriot Games,” among others, are just too strong. “Far and Away” is probably the most prominent casualty of the tough competition, with solid No. 1 potential that may never be realized. Some retailers rank the Tom Cruise romantic drama among their top two rental titles--a few say it’s their best rental. But “Far and Away” slipped a notch to No. 5 and may have already peaked.

* Boasting not one but two action-adventure stars--Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren--”Universal Soldier” should be one of the biggest rental hits in the genre during the next month. After a quiet debut, at No. 37, it should shoot up the chart next week, possibly into the bottom half of the Top 10.

National Video Rentals

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1.”Sister Act” 1 5 2.”Patriot Games” 5 3 3.”Alien3” 3 4 4.”Basic Instinct” 2 8 5.”Far and Away” 4 4 6.”Lethal Weap. 3” 29 2 7.”Beauty and the Beast” 8 7 8.”Batman Returns” 6 7 9.”Deep Cover” 10 5 10.”My Cousin Vinny” 7 10 * “Universal Soldier” ... 1

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.