National Video Rentals : Maniacs Have a Stranglehold

Audiences do love those “Fatal Attraction”-style thrillers about murderous, obsessive psychos. Chart-topping “Single White Female” features such a character, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, and so does “Unlawful Entry,” with Ray Liotta as a crazed cop. “Unlawful” entered the rental chart at No. 4; some retailers around the country already have it listed as their top rental, while pointing out that, for some reason, this un-romantic thriller was a big hit over Valentine’s Day weekend. Among the top four, only the Eddie Murphy comedy “Boomerang” isn’t about a homicidal psycho--in second-ranked “Raising Cain,” John Lithgow also plays a maniac. According to several retailers, top-rated “Single White Female” is doing such strong business that for a while it may fend off “A League of Their Own,” which came out Wednesday. That box-office hit is considered a shoo-in to reach the top slot.

* Damon Wayans of TV’s “In Living Color” fame is the major attraction in this romantic action-comedy, which grossed a tidy $40 million in theaters. It’s off to a fast start in the rental market, entering the chart at No. 11. Based on early action, this could easily become a Top 5 rental.

National Video Rentals

Rank Weeks Last on the Week Chart 1.”Single White Female” 1 2 2.”Raising Cain” 3 3 3.”Boomerang” 4 7 4.”Unlawful Entry” 1 5.”Housesitter” 2 8 6.”Patriot Games” 5 12 7.”Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” 6 6 8.”Diggstown” 9 3 9.”Stranger Among Us” 7 4 10.”Lethal Weap. 3” 8 11 * “Mo’ Money” 1

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.