‘Road House’ Looks Like a Hit

One reason the violent “Road House” is such a rental smash--No. 3 on the new Billboard chart--is that it features not one but two hunks: Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott. So in addition to male action/drama fans, swooning females are also renting this one. Based on its box-office gross, $27 million, the movie was expected to do well in the rental market. “Lock Up,” starring Sly Stallone, is also a rental hit--No. 7 after just two weeks--attracting fans who skipped it during its theatrical run. For a movie that raked in a tidy $29 million at the box-office, the black comedy “Weekend at Bernie’s” is a surprisingly mild rental attraction. It’s only No. 18 after two weeks. Lack of major stars (it features Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) is part of the problem.

* The latest James Bond adventure, “Licence to Kill,” was overshadowed by all those superhits last summer and didn’t do blockbuster-type box-office business--though it did pull in a respectable $33 million. But it should be a big draw in the rental market, most likely climbing to the Top Five. It debuted on the rental chart at No. 22.

VIDEO RENTAL CHARTS

Ranking Ranking 2 Weeks Top Rentals Last Week Ago 1. “When Harry Met Sally ...” (Nelson) 1 9 2. “Ghostbusters II” (RCA/Columbia) 2 2 3. “Road House” (MGM/UA) 5 7 4. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (RCA/Columbia) 6 - 6 5. “Star Trek V” (Paramount) 8 12 * “Licence to Kill” (CBS-Fox) ... ...

Weeks on Rental Top Rentals Chart 1. “When Harry Met Sally ...” (Nelson) 3 2. “Ghostbusters II” (RCA/Columbia) 7 3. “Road House” (MGM/UA) 4 4. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (RCA/Columbia) 4 5. “Star Trek V” (Paramount) 3 * “Licence to Kill” (CBS-Fox) 1