The Weeknd, courtesy of Republic Records
Projections are predictably rough due to the current marketplace climate, but one thing seems pretty clear: The Weeknd’s “After Hours” will be the week’s #1 album.
Based on early data, Hits Daily Double expects the album to debut with over 400K in total first-week US consumption units. Upwards of 200K should come from album sales, with the remaining units attributable to units from track streams and sales (almost entirely streams).
Should the 400K+ figure hold, “After Hours” will challenge BTS’ “Map Of The Soul: 7” for the biggest debut year-to-date. The BTS album debuted at #1 with 422K units in late February.
In terms of studio LPs, “After Hours” is the follow-up to The Weeknd’s chart-topping 2016 release “Starboy.” In between, he hit #1 with his EP “My Dear Melancholy.”