‘Mississippi Burning’ Stays Hot

The hot new rental is “Mississippi Burning,” starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe, which is up to No. 3 after three weeks on the Billboard magazine rental chart. Those top two comedies, “Twins” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” are past their peaks but are still trouncing the competition. “Dangerous Liaisons,” which slipped a notch to No. 4, couldn’t crack that comedy block at the top. “Tequila Sunrise,” a romantic drama with a cops ‘n’ robbers subplot, rose to No. 6 in just two weeks. Another newcomer, “The Fly II”--No. 11--should buzz into the Top 10 next week.

* Critics generally slammed “The ‘Burbs,” the Tom Hanks comedy. Though not as big as “Big” or some of his other hits, it still raked in $34.1 million at the box office. “The ‘Burbs,” which debuted at No. 24, could be a popular rental during this season of popular comedy rentals--probably jumping into the Top 10 next week.

VIDEO CHARTS

Rental Rental Weeks Top Ranking Ranking 2 On Rental Rentals Last Week Weeks Ago Chart 1.”Twins” 11 1 9 (MCA) 2.”Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” 2 2 8 (Orion) 3.”Mississippi Burning” 6 10 3 (Orion) 4.”Dangerous Liaisons” 3 5 5 (Warner) 5.”The Accidental Tourist” 4 3 7 (Warner) *”The ‘Burbs” ... ... 1 (MCA)