‘Showgirls’ Racking Up the Orders

Even though the biggest video chain in the country insisted on an R-rated version of “Showgirls,” most retailers are only interested in carrying the original NC-17 version.

The controversial movie, which will be released on video on Jan. 2, has racked up 248,000 pre-orders of video and laser disc units in North America.

Though nowhere near the 735,000 units shipped this week of “Die Hard With a Vengeance,” “Showgirls” is performing better than the average of 200,000 orders for a film that made only $20 million at the box office.

“Showgirls,” like the new “Die Hard,” is priced for the rental market, just under $100. But MGM/UA is also marketing the movie for sale in a unique deal with Ticketmaster. Consumers would pay the same high-end price, plus shipping charges, in order to own the movie the first day it is available.

The movie, about a young Las Vegas dancer who rises from obscurity to stardom, was released in late September to loud critical jeers, but video stores are showing interest nonetheless.

“It’s still a work-in-progress,” said David Bishop, executive vice president of MGM/UA Home Entertainment. “There are still some orders outstanding. We believe that number will continue to grow--another 10,000 to 15,000 units are possible.”

Some video chains, led by Blockbuster, refused to carry the NC-17 movie. So director Paul Verhoeven eliminated 61 seconds of footage. Alternative shots were used in some scenes. Last month, the MPAA gave this edited version an R rating.

“The R rating opened a lot of doors for us,” Bishop said. “There were supermarkets on the East Coast that were comfortable taking it once we got the R [rating]. There were some key retailers on the West Coast and of course, Blockbuster.”

So far, Bishop said, video retailers are only ordering one version of the film. “Far and away the NC-17 is the more popular title,” he said. “The ratio is around 65% to 35%. That’s pretty much what we expected.”

Three Southern California chains--the Wherehouse, Tower Video and 20/20--will be stocking the NC-17 version.

Some areas of the country, however, refused to take the title at all. Bishop said that West Coast and Northeast retailers ordered either the NC-17 or the R-rated version.

“In the Midwest, some of the grocery stores to date have not picked up the title,” he said. “I thought that the R rating would get us beyond that.” In the South, he said, “we have had one chain not take the title even though we had an R rating.”