FRESH 'MEET'

Prospective sons-in-law may lie, but the numbers sure don't. After a lucrative theatrical run, Meet the Parents milked an impressive 5 million rentals in its first week of release, putting it safely in the top spot. That's good news for Robert De Niro, who needed the boost after the squirrelly No. 29 debut of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. And speaking of contenders: The Contender had to settle for No. 3, despite Oscar nods for stars Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges.

TAPE RENTALS

LAST GROSS TO WEEKS ON EW VIDEO WEEK DATE CHART GRADE

1 -- MEET THE PARENTS Robert De Niro $166.0 1 C 2 1 BEDAZZLED Brendan Fraser $37.9 2 C 3 -- THE CONTENDER Joan Allen $17.8 1 B+ 4 3 NURSE BETTY Renee Zellweger $25.2 2 C- 5 2 WHAT LIES BENEATH Michelle Pfeiffer $155.4 6 B+ 6 4 BRING IT ON Kirsten Dunst $68.4 4 B 7 5 THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY Steve Harvey $38.2 2 B- 8 6 THE WATCHER James Spader $28.9 3 C- 9 7 BLESS THE CHILD Kim Basinger $29.4 4 D 10 9 ME, MYSELF & IRENE Jim Carrey $90.6 9 C 11 8 LOST SOULS Winona Ryder $16.8 2 D 12 10 GET CARTER Sylvester Stallone $15.0 4 C 13 12 COYOTE UGLY Piper Perabo $60.8 8 C- 14 13 DR. T & THE WOMEN Richard Gere $13.1 5 D 15 14 LADY AND THE TRAMP II... Animated -- 2 B 16 11 DISNEY'S THE KID Bruce Willis $69.7 7 B+ 17 15 GLADIATOR Russell Crowe $186.6 16 A 18 18 GONE IN 60 SECONDS Nicolas Cage $101.7 14 D 19 17 HOLLOW MAN Kevin Bacon $73.2 10 B- 20 16 BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR... Kim Director $26.4 3 D-

SOURCE: VIDEO BUSINESS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 11, 2001 BOX OFFICE GROSS-TO-DATE FIGURES IN MILLIONS. SOURCE: ACNIELSEN EDI, INC., AND EXHIBITOR RELATIONS CO. INC.