Update: New sales projections have emerged. Metallica’s album is tracking even better than initially expected, while Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” — not Miranda Lambert’s release — is now poised for #2.
Metallica’s “Hardwired … To Self-Destruct” is on track to convincingly win the weekly US album sales race. It will also claim #1 on the Billboard 200 consumption chart.
Based on early sales data, Hits Daily Double projects Metallica’s album to sell 250-270,000 pure US copies during the tracking week. The inclusion of TEA (track sales/10) and SEA (track streams/1500) should result in an opening week consumption total of 260-280,000 units.
Hits’ sales projections have not been as accurate as usual in recent weeks, but there is ultimately little doubt that Metallica will claim #1 on Top Album Sales (thanks to the sales figure) and Billboard 200 (thanks to the consumption tally).
This week’s other notable releases include Miranda Lambert’s “The Weight Of These Wings” (projected for ~135-145K pure sales, 145-155K units) and Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” (~110-120K sales, 140-150K units). The Bruno Mars album could receive a lift following his performance at Sunday’s American Music Awards, but it will not threaten “Hardwired … To Self-Destruct.”
