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.

* The small, acclaimed movie “Enchanted April” is still riding that boost from the best supporting actress Oscar nomination for Joan Plowright. Many renters undoubtedly found out about it because of the Oscar hoopla. It moved up three more notches to No. 17--an exalted position for a low-budget, art-house-oriented movie that registered just a tiny box-office gross.

National Video Rentals

Rank Weeks Last on the Week 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 * “Enchanted April” 20

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.