Rental Rentals

Enterprise Rent-a-Car, a closely held car-rental company with the most U.S. locations, ranked highest in a J.D. Power & Associates survey of customer satisfaction with car rentals near airports. Avis Group Holdings Inc. placed second, while Hertz Corp. and ANC Rental Corp.'s National were judged above average, according to the market research company.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car, a closely held car-rental company with the most U.S. locations, ranked highest in a J.D. Power & Associates survey of customer satisfaction with car rentals near airports. Avis Group Holdings Inc. placed second, while Hertz Corp. and ANC Rental Corp.'s National were judged above average, according to the market research company.

Red-hot "The War of the Roses," up two notches to No. 2, may unseat "Steel Magnolias" next week as the No. 1 rental on the Billboard chart. "Always," the romantic drama starring Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter, moved up two places to No. 4. "Family Business," which stars Sean Connery and Dustin Hoffman, climbed to No. 19. * Richard Gere's meaty role as the unscrupulous cop in "Internal Affairs" was acclaimed by some critics as his best performance. The movie entered the chart at No.

Comedy really is king in the summer rental market. Of the top six titles on the Billboard rental chart, five are comedies. The only drama is "The Accused," which boasts Jodie Foster's Oscar-winning performance. The newest addition to the Top Five, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (No. 3), may just be the next No. 1 rental. "Twins," a perennial also-ran to "Coming to America," may soon run out of gas. "The Accidental Tourist" jumped from No. 10 to No. 6. Rental chart debuts: "Cocoon: the Return" (No.

The Top Five of the Billboard magazine rental chart has a new look, with two new entries--"Working Girl" (No. 3) and "Major League" (No. 4)--poised to wash "Rain Man" out of No. 1. The two heavy dramas--"Rain Man" and "Beaches"--that have dominated the rental chart in recent weeks, look like they will be bounced out of the Top Five in the next month, with the more fun films taking over. "The Dream Team," Michael Keaton's new comedy, jumped nine places to No.

"Tequila Sunrise," the romantic thriller starring Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer, dislodged "Mississippi Burning" from the top spot on Billboard magazine's video rental chart. But Gibson shouldn't get too comfortable in his new digs at No. 1. Two hit comedies are vying to become the next No. 1 video. "The Naked Gun," the Leslie Nielsen police comedy, shot to No. 4 in its second week, and "The 'Burbs," the Tom Hanks suburban farce, jumped to No. 7 in its third week.

"Big" looks like it could rule the rental roost for a while, since its closest contenders on the Billboard magazine chart have already passed their peak. "Big's" big competition is most likely to come from the newcomers bounding onto the chart this week, including "Tucker" (No. 10) and "Gorillas in the Mist" (No. 14), which features Sigourney Weaver's Oscar-nominated performance. Other major chart entries are the romantic "Crossing Delancey" (No. 20), starring Amy Irving, and grim "Dead Ringers" (No. 25)

For a movie that grossed $109 million at the box office, " 'Crocodile' Dundee II" is not as big a rental as expected. Not that it's a flop. For the last few weeks, it's been No. 3 on the Billboard magazine chart. But mega-grossing movies like this usually wind up as No. 1 rentals. Strangely, though, "Dundee II" has never been No. 1. Buoyed by Sigourney Weaver's Oscar-nominated performance, newcomer "Gorillas in the Mist," which earned $22.

The makers of second-ranked "Cocktail," starring Tom Cruise, should be having a champagne toast in the next week or two with the movie cruising toward the top spot of the Billboard magazine rental chart. Fast-rising "Gorillas in the Mist" (No. 4) also may have a shot at No. 1. "Tucker," starring Jeff Bridges as the eccentric automaker, seemed to run out of gas after a quick start, but it's been re-energized, charging up to No. 6. The horror fans' favorite, "Child's Play," featuring Chucky the demon doll, jumped 23 places to No. 15. Chart debuts: "Clara's Heart," (No. 29)

Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America" finally surged to the top of the Billboard chart after three weeks. It turns out that the competition from Top Five movies like "Big" and "Cocktail" was simply too strong for the Murphy movie to claim the No. 1 position instantly in the first week or two, as was expected. "Coming to America" is likely to hold on to the top spot rather easily for the next few weeks, resting up for its next big challenge--just-released "Twins," which, like the Murphy movie, is a member of the exclusive $100-million-grossers club.

"Twins," which burst onto the Billboard magazine rental chart at No. 5, should easily be the most popular rental over the coming holiday weekend. Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as oddball siblings, this comedy earned more than $106 million at the box office. Look for it to replace "Coming to America" as the No. 1 rental in the next week or two. The comedy "My Stepmother Is an Alien" jumped from No. 14 to No. 6 and should crack the Top Five. That's a surprisingly strong rental showing for a film that grossed $13 million (much lower than expected)