Billboard has officially announced the news everyone new was coming: Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” debuts at #1 on this week’s Top Album Sales and Billboard 200 charts.
It tops the former thanks to what Billboard reports as 322K pure opening week US sales. The figure, which is the largest single-week tally since J. Cole’s “4 Your Eyez Only” moved 363K in December, already positions “Divide” as 2017’s best-selling album in the US (new or old).
With TEA (track sales/10) and SEA (track streams/1500) added to the pure sales total, “Divide” generated 451K in opening week US consumption units. The figure easily earns “Divide” the #1 spot on the Billboard 200; it follows “x” in becoming Sheeran’s second #1 on the chart.
As was the case on the pure sales front, “Divide” is the best single-week performer since J. Cole’s “4 Your Eyez Only.” The rapper’s album debuted with 492K units late last year.
Aided by a ticket bundle, Metallica’s “Hardwired … To Self-Destruct” roars back to #2 on this week’s Billboard 200 with 81K units. The overwhelming majority of those units come from pure sales.
Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” takes #3 with 65K units, while Future’s “Future” (#4, 52K) and Future’s “HNDRXX” (#5, 49K) complete the Top 5.
