Kings Of Leon’s “WALLS” will not sell as well as predecessor “Mechanical Bull.”
It may, however, chart higher on the Billboard 200. “Mechanical Bull” debuted (and peaked) at #2, while “WALLS” has a strong shot of claiming #1.
Based on opening day sales estimates, Hits Daily Double expects “WALLS” to sell 50-60,000 pure US copies this week. Initial projections have become less accurate since the switch to a Friday-Thursday sales week, but “WALLS” will certainly not match the 110,000 opening week sales figure posted by “Mechanical Bull.”
A total in the 50-60K range would, however, likely be enough for #1 on Billboard Top Album Sales.
Track sales and track streams are particularly difficult to project early in the week, but Hits expects “WALLS” to generate upwards of 10,000 units from TEA (track sales/10) and SEA (track streams/1500). The resulting consumption total of 60-70,000 units would likely be enough for #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
“Mechanical Bull” debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, which was a sales-only chart at the time. Drake’s “Nothing Was The Same,” which sold 658,000 first-week copies, was a dominant #1.