National Video Rentals : ‘League’ in a League of Its Own

With the baseball season closing in, “A League of Their Own,” the comedy/drama about a female ball club, finally hit a home run, trotting to the top of the rental chart. Until now, its path to home plate had been blocked by the tawdry thriller “Single White Female,” which slipped to No. 2, although some retailers still list it as their top rental. “League” should have a strong April when baseball gets in full bloom. Another sexy thriller, “Whispers in the Dark,” with Annabella Sciorra and Alan Alda, debuted at No. 20. It did only $10.2 million at the box office, but is expected to be a rental favorite, reflecting the current success of such titillating thrillers as “Single White Female” and “Unlawful Entry.” “Rapid Fire,” the martial arts movie starring Bruce Lee’s son Brandon, is a big rental hit, bounding to No. 10 in two chart weeks.

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1. “A League of Their Own” 2 4 2. “Single White Female” 1 6 3. “Sneakers” 7 3 4. “Unlawful Entry” 3 5 5. “Death Becomes Her” 4 4 6. “Honeymoon in Vegas” 5 3 7. “Mo’ Money” 8 5 8. “Raising Cain” 6 7 9. “Cool World” 12 3 10. “Rapid Fire” 17 2 * “The Last of the Mohicans” ... 1

* “The Last of the Mohicans,” which grossed a tidy $72.2 million in theaters, opened at a lowly No. 36 but should be one of the top rentals for the next few months. But there may be a drawback: The movie is available only in the widescreen format, with blank strips above and below the picture. This format is foreign to most renters and could curtail rentals.

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.