Update: According to Billboard, One Direction’s “FOUR” debuts atop the Billboard 200 with 387,000 first week sales.
1D, which was already the first group to debut atop the chart with its first three albums, extends the record by doing so with a fourth. It is the fourth act overall to do so (following Britney Spears, DMX and Beyonce; the latter two scored five consecutive first-week #1s).
Despite driving One Direction to that milestone, the “FOUR” sales total represents a steep decline from that of previous album “Midnight Memories.” That release moved 546,000 copies in its inaugural week.
This week’s Billboard 200 top ten breaks down as follows:
1) One Direction – FOUR – 387K
2) Taylor Swift – 1989 – 214K
3) Pentatonix – That’s Christmas to Me – 99K
4) Nickelback – No Fixed Address – 80K
5) Garth Brooks – Man Against Machine – 62K
6) Pink Floyd – The Endless River – 45K
7) Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways – 36K
8) In This Moment – Black Widow – 36K
9) Michael Buble – Christmas – 35K
10) Idina Menzel – Holiday Wishes – 33K
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It came in at the low end of projections (and well below the inaugural frame tallies for predecessors “Midnight Memories” and “Take Me Home”), but the sales total for One Direction’s “FOUR” was more than enough to give the act another #1.
According to Hits Daily Double, 1D’s fourth studio album moved approximately 401,454 copies in its first week of release. The more authoritative Billboard 200 sales report might differ slightly, but it will still recognize “FOUR” as the week’s best-selling album.
Taylor Swift’s “1989,” which spent the past three weeks at #1, will slip to #2 on the Billboard 200. Hits says it moved about 212,839 copies in week four.
Pentatonix’ “That’s Christmas to Me” rockets into the #3 slot on the strength of about 98,837 sales, while Nickelback’s new “No Fixed Address” starts at #4. It moved approximately 75,340 copies last week.
Garth Brooks’ “Man Against Machine” claims #5 courtesy 61,311. Down 51% from last week’s Hits mark, the album’s week two tally bests those of Pink Floyd’s “The Endless River” (~43,919) and Foo Fighters’ “Sonic Highways” (~40,800), which both debuted higher on last week’s Billboard 200.