The Essential Michael Jackson becomes the late superstar’s second album to spend 550 weeks on the Billboard 200, following Thriller, which leads by hundreds of weeks. VARIOUS, VARIOUS – JUNE 25: Michael Jackson performs in concert circa 1986. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
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Throughout much of the spring of 2026, Michael Jackson ranked as one of the most successful artists on the Billboard charts. His catalog – which is always pulling in millions of streams and even healthy sales, especially in America – enjoyed massive gains following the release of Michael. The film is already the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, and it may gross a billion dollars before leaving all theaters.
For months, Jackson scored sometimes a dozen or more hits, while multiple albums appeared across a variety of tallies in the United States. As Michael leaves many cinemas, the King of Pop’s music has largely started to fall on the weekly rosters. It’s unlikely any of his tunes will reach new peak positions – as many did only a few months ago – but one of Jackson’s most impressive feats throughout his career has been his longevity.
This time around, a fan-favorite compilation reaches a very impressive milestone on the most important albums roster in the country, one which only some of the most successful names in the music industry will even approach.
The Essential Michael Jackson Reaches a Chart Milestone
The superstar’s The Essential Michael Jackson falls more than 20 spaces on the Billboard 200, dipping from No. 152 to No. 175 on the ranking of the most popular albums and EPs in the nation. The Billboard 200, the company’s flagship albums ranking, is compiled each week using both sales and streaming data to show which collections are the most consumed, not necessarily the most streamed or top-selling.
The Essential Michael Jackson Reaches 550 Weeks
As of this period, The Essential Michael Jackson has lived on the Billboard 200 for 550 weeks, more than a decade. It is only the second release by Jackson to hit that figure. Thriller is years ahead of the compilation, as that bestseller – one of the most successful albums of all time – is up to 726 stays on the 200-space rundown.
The Essential Michael Jackson Peaked at Only No. 31
While The Essential Michael Jackson may be the late, great musician’s second-longest-charting title on the Billboard 200, it is far from one of his highest-ranking. The project, which includes many of his most successful singles, debuted on the roster in August 2005, but it wasn’t until September 2018 that it climbed to its No. 31 high point.
The Essential Michael Jackson Falls on Two Rankings
The Essential Michael Jackson may have reason to celebrate this week thanks to its long run on the Billboard 200, but at the moment, the compilation only appears on two rankings in the U.S., and it falls on both of them. In addition to the all-encompassing albums roster, The Essential Michael Jackson drops from No. 21 to No. 24 on the Top R&B Albums list. On that register, the project has spent 379 weeks as one of the most popular R&B collections, and it missed out on earning the Grammy winner another No. 1 by only a single rung.
Michael Jackson Charts Three Spots on the Billboard 200
Jackson fills three spaces on the Billboard 200 this week, and two of his charting efforts are compilations. Thriller incredibly still appears inside the top 10, even as it backtracks one space to No. 8. The superstar claimed two spots within the uppermost tier just days ago, but this time around, Number Ones – another gathering of hit songs – falls from No. 8 to No. 12.
Thriller and Number Ones Appear on Six Billboard Charts
Both Thriller and Number Ones make space on half a dozen Billboard charts — the same ones. In addition to the Billboard 200, they also appear on the Top Album Sales, Top Streaming Albums, Vinyl Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and Top R&B Albums rankings.
Like The Essential Michael Jackson, both Bad and Off the Wall can be found on only two tallies. Although neither one occupies a space on either the Billboard 200 or Top R&B Albums like the compilation, Bad and Off the Wall settle on the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts, remaining strong sellers. Impressively, they fill spots within the loftiest space on the vinyl-only roster, where Jackson claims a quartet of top 10 bestsellers.