National Video Rentals : ‘Sister’ Bounces ‘Basic’ Out of No. 1

With the year’s big family-viewing season starting, warm-hearted movies like “Sister Act” will be in demand. The Whoopi Goldberg comedy just bounced “Basic Instinct,” which is still doing strong rental business, out of the No. 1 spot. Retailers say “Batman Returns,” which slipped a notch to No. 3, never has been as big a rental as expected, but much of that has to do with the formidable competition in the Top 5. “Alien 3” leaped into No. 10 from No. 32, but still isn’t a dominant rental. Though it grossed more than $55 million last summer, it wasn’t a must-see for horror or action/adventure fans. It may prove to be a disappointment in the rental market too. “Far and Away” moved up a notch to No. 6. Some retailers say the Tom Cruise romantic adventure would be doing better--Top 3 by now--if the competition weren’t so tough.

* The hot new video of the weekend, according to many retailers, was “Patriot Games,” the action thriller starring Harrison Ford. It started at a modest No. 37 but should jump into the Top 10 next week.

National Video Rentals

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1.”Sister Act” 5 3 2.”Basic Instinct” 1 6 3.”Batman Returns” 2 5 4.”Beauty and the Beast” 3 5 5.”My Cousin Vinny” 4 8 6.”Far and Away” 7 2 7.”Deep Cover” 9 3 8.”The Cutting Edge” 6 5 9.”Encino Man” 12 2 10.”Alien 3” 32 2 * “Patriot Games” ...1

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.