National Video Rentals : ‘Sleepless’ a Holiday Sweetheart

All the returns won’t be in until next week, but some retailers are reporting that “Sleepless in Seattle” did anything but sleepy business during Valentine’s Day weekend. The romantic comedy remains locked in second place, middleman in that same old 1-2-3 configuration seen for weeks: With “The Firm” on top and “Dave” in third. The oddball “Kalifornia,” featuring Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis, did poorly at the box office but its positive reviews are helping it attract a sizable rental audience. It jumped from No. 36 to No. 16--impressive for a film that hardly anybody saw in theaters. “Last Action Hero,” the Arnold Schwarzenegger box-office bomb, had a strong second week, leaping from No. 13 to No. 5. There’s enough curiosity about it to lure renters during its first few weeks in release, but some retailers fear that bad word of mouth will ultimately sink it.

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1. “The Firm” 1 7 2. “Sleepless in Seattle” 2 8 3. “Dave” 3 7 4. “Hard Target” 11 2 5. “Last Action Hero” 13 2 6. “Rising Sun” 4 10 7. “True Romance” 5 5 8. “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” 6 4 9. “Hocus Pocus” 8 5 10. “Rookie of the Year” 16 2 * “Coneheads” 16 2

* “Coneheads,” featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin re-creating their old “Saturday Night Live” characters, is doing fairly healthy business, jumping from No. 18 to No. 11 in its second week on the chart. Still, it’s not doing quite as well as some retailers expected. This comedy didn’t meet expectations during its theatrical run either. But don’t count “Coneheads” out just yet. Its rental-market performance could pick up in the next few weeks.

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.