National Video Rentals : ‘Passenger 57’ Riding High on Charts

“Passenger 57” continues to soar above the competition. Some retailers still say it’s far and away their biggest rental, so it may have lots of chart-topping mileage left. But it also may get shot down, at some point soon, by one of two fast-rising movies--”The Distinguished Gentleman” (No. 3) and “Trespass” (No. 5). “Gentleman,” featuring rental star Eddie Murphy, is a strong No. 1 candidate, but so is “Trespass,” an urban shoot-’em-up starring two popular rappers, Ice-T and Ice Cube. The potential audience for “Trespass” may be much larger, however, since so many missed it during its disappointing theatrical run early in the year. The thriller “Consenting Adults” (No. 4) is still doing good business. It’s most likely getting spillover business from fans who like “Consenting” star Kevin Kline in his current box-office hit, “Dave,” and are in the market for other Kline films.

Rank Last Week Weeks on the Chart 1. “Passenger 57” 1 6 2. “Under Siege” 2 7 3. “The Distinguished Gentleman” 8 2 4. “Consenting Adults” 3 7 5. “Trespass” 10 2 6. “Hero” 4 5 7. “The Mighty Ducks” 6 5 8. “The Player” 5 7 9. “School Ties” 12 3 10. “The Last of the Mohicans” 9 11

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.