Even though its million sales from the special Samsung Galaxy promotion will not count towards its debut week on the Billboard 200, Jay-Z’s heavily-hyped “Magna Carta… Holy Grail” will have no trouble dominating next week’s chart.
Based on sales data from its first true day of release, the iconic rapper’s latest is likely to move 450-500,000 units this week. In addition to giving him a clear number one on the charts, such a bow would also eclipse that of Kanye West’s recent “Yeezus” release and land in the same range as Jay-Z’s preceding solo studio “The Blueprint 3” (476K first-week sales).
And though the one million Samsung sales will not count towards the album’s Billboard run, they do solidify its platinum status according to the RIAA.
Already pacing ahead of initial forecasts, which called for a bow in the 350-400,000 range, the Jay-Z album still has a shot of overperforming and topping the 500K mark. If it does, it would represent his fourth to accomplish the feat after “Kingdom Come,” “The Blueprint 2” and “The Dynasty.”
Fueled by single “Body Party,” Ciara’s self-titled new release will likely land in the number two spot with 50-60,000 in estimated sales.