Decades after its release — and domination of other Billboard charts — Michael Jackson’s Thriller stalls at No. 2 on the main sales ranking in America. PASADENA, CA – 1993: Singer Michael Jackson performs at the 1993 Pasadena, California, Superbowl XXVII halftime show. The “King of Pop” performed several songs including “Billie Jean,” during the 15-minute show. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
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The Billboard 200, the chart company’s flagship album ranking, is not, as many people assume, a list of the bestselling releases in the United States. When considering only pure purchases, it is the Top Album Sales chart that should be checked.
The Billboard 200 ranks titles based on total consumption, and both purchases and streaming activity factor into where a project lands. For many years, before platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and dozens of others completely changed the music industry, the Billboard 200 was built on sales data, but since the Top Album Sales roster was introduced, even some of the top-selling musical releases of all time have not made it to the top spot.
Perhaps the bestselling traditional studio album in American history nearly conquers the Top Album Sales tally for the first time this week, but it stops just short of ruling.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller Stops at No. 2
Michael Jackson’s Thriller steps up on this week’s Top Album Sales chart, ascending from No. 6 to No. 2. That’s as high as the blockbuster has ever reached on this list, though it has conquered other rosters, like the all-important Billboard 200, in the past. Thriller initially set its No. 2 peak position back in December 2022, decades after it altered what was possible for one project from an artist.
Le Sserafim Blocks Michael Jackson from No. 1
One debut stops Jackson’s Thriller from standing out as the bestselling release in America, at least according to a chart that was introduced decades after it had already sold more than 10 million copies. K-pop girl group Le Sserafim launches Pureflow atop the tally. The troupe earns its third champion with Pureflow, which follows two EPs, Crazy and Hot. The group has pushed seven releases to the ranking, and all but one have spent time inside not only the top 10, but the top three.
Michael Jackson Has Seen Two Albums Stall at No. 2
Thriller is one of two Jackson collections to fail to dominate the Top Album Sales chart by just one space. Xscape launched in the runner-up rung in May 2014, and it never managed to push any higher.
1983: Portrait of American pop star Michael Jackson wearing a red leather jacket at the opening of the stage musical, ‘Dream Girls,’ Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)
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The superstar has racked up 10 top 10 wins on the roster, four of which have led the charge. Jackson’s longest-running No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart remains Dangerous. That full-length opened in first place in December 1991 and managed four frames atop the rundown. That’s as long as the performer’s three other leaders – Invincible, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I and Michael Jackson’s This Is It (Soundtrack) – have held on to the peak position, combined.
Michael Jackson Scores Four Bestsellers This Week
Jackson scores a quartet of bestsellers on this week’s Top Album Sales chart, and all but one of them lives inside the top 10. Thriller, Number Ones and Off the Wall sit at their all-time highs of Nos. 2, 6 and 8, respectively. Further down on the roster comes Bad, which dips one rung from its No. 20 high point.
Michael Jackson Rules With Thriller Elsewhere
Thriller also settles for second place on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally, though it is not Le Sserafim that keeps the singer from returning to the throne. Drake’s Iceman, one of three albums he released less than a month ago, earns a second stay after debuting at No. 1 last week.
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 30: Drake attends Drake’s Till Death Do Us Part rap battle on October 30, 2021 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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Thriller does command the Top R&B Albums tally. On that rundown, Jackson replaces Drake at No. 1 as Thriller takes over from Habibti, another one of the trio of projects that Canadian hip-hop talent recently delivered.