VIDEO CHARTS

“Lethal Weapon,� the violent police thriller starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, may be an even bigger rental hit than expected. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine rental chart--a rare achievement. “Tin Men,� the nostalgic comedy featuring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, entered the chart at No. 11. It looks like it has Top 5 potential. The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,� retailing for $29.95, jumped to No. 12 on the sales chart, which measures sales to retailers and distributors. Stores are stocking up on this one because it promises to be a big seller during the holiday season. Other sales charts: “Lady and the Tramp� and “An American Tail� head the kidvid chart, “The Making of the ‘Touch of Grey’ Video and More� tops the music videocassette chart, and “The Best of Football Follies� is No. 1 on the recreational sports chart.

* Insiders predicted instant rental-market success for “Project X,� the sentimental drama about a pilot (Matthew Broderick) assigned to a project lethal to chimps. The forecasters were right. It debuted at No. 9 on the rental chart. There’s been a lot of publicity about charges of mistreatment to the chimps by their trainers during filming, but nothing has been proven. It’s unknown whether the animal-abuse controversy has affected the movie’s rental business.