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“Suicide Squad” Soundtrack Dominates US Sales Race, Debuts At #1 On BB200 (Updated)

Update: Billboard has made the news official: “Suicide Squad: The Album” debuts at #1 on the weekly Top Album Sales and Billboard 200 charts.

It tops the former with what Billboard reports as 128K in pure US sales. The inclusion of TEA (track sales/10) and SEA (track streams/1500) brings the consumption total to 182K units, which is easily enough for #1 on the latter.

“Suicide Squad” is the first soundtrack to top the Billboard 200 since “Descendants” did so in August 2015. It had the biggest sales week for a soundtrack since “50 Shades Of Grey” moved 210K during a week in February 2015.

Drake’s consumption powerhouse “Views” is #2 on this week’s Billboard 200 with 73K units. Skillet’s “Unleashed” debuts at #3 with 62K, while Blake Shelton’s “If I’m Honest” rises to #4 with 49K.

Credited with 48K units (all due to pure sales), NOW 59 starts at #5 on the BB200.
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“Suicide Squad: The Album” predictably dominated the weekly US album sales race. The album is also set to debut as a dominant #1 on the Billboard 200 consumption chart.

According to Hits Daily Double, the soundtrack sold an impressive ~128,550 pure US albums during the August 5-11 tracking week. The inclusion of Track Equivalent Albums (track sales/10) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (track streams/1500) brings the weekly consumption tally to approximately 180,298.

The album sales figure comfortably tops Hits’ original projection of 110-115,000. Driven by mammoth interest in key album singles like twenty one pilots’ “Heathens” and the star-studded “Sucker For Pain,” the consumption figure obliterates the original projection of 125,000-135,000.

Billboard’s more authoritative data may differ slightly from that reported by Hits, but the discrepancy will not change the overall outcomes: “Suicide Squad: The Album” will be #1 on Top Album Sales and the Billboard 200.

This week’s other pure sales leaders: Skillet’s “Unleashed” (~57,747 sales), NOW 59 (~48,916), Blake Shelton’s “If I’m Honest” (~44,551), and twenty one pilots’ “Blurryface” (~24,350)

This week’s other consumption leaders: Drake’s “Views” (~72,514 units), “Unleashed” (~62,740), “If I’m Honest” (~50,058), NOW 59 (~48,916).

Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002. Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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Brian Cantor