Billboard 200: The Weeknd Takes ‘Starboy’ to No. 1

Billboard 200: The Weeknd has a big week on the Billboard 200 as he takes ‘Starboy’ to no. 1. 

Expectedly, The Weeknd tops the Billboard 200 with his third proper studio album, Starboy.  Starboy was the only major released issued on November 25, 2016, which happened to be Black Friday.  Taking the risk of dropping the album digitally on that date paid off as Starboy starts with an impressive 348,000 units.  The traditional sales were less impressive, accounting for just 60% of that total.  That’s also to be expected, considering the physical edition of the album arrived after the fact and The Weeknd earned a robust number of streams for his previous no. 1 album, Beauty Behind the Madness.

With The Weeknd being the only newbie in the top 10, the rest of the top 10 is comprised of albums that have previously debuted.  Beginning with last week’s entries, Metallica (Hardwired…to Self-Destruct) slips from no. 1 to no. 3.  Bruno Mars (24K Magic) likewise slips two spots from no. 2 to no. 4.  Down the chart, Miranda Lambert (The Weight of These Wings) slides from no. 3 to no. 9.

While Metallica, Bruno Mars, and Miranda Lambert all fall expectedly, some albums see an uptick.  Pentatonix continues to thrive with A Pentatonix Christmas, up to no. 2 with a robust 131,000 units according to Billboard.  Also, That’s Christmas to Me, the quintet’s first Christmas full-length, reenters the top 10 at no. 8.  The Moana soundtrack unsurprisingly jumps, ascending to no. 5 after missing the top 10 all together.

Idina Menzel (Holiday Wishes) does something her 2016 studio album (Idina) couldn’t do – nab a top-10 spot (no. 6).   The Trolls soundtrack remains at no. 6. Michael Buble gets some Christmas love at no. 7.  Christmas hit no. 1 a couple of years back.  Drake (Views) exits the top-10 this week, leaving Hamilton with the final spot.

Who’s got next on the Billboard 200? The buzz seems to be surrounding The Hamilton Mixtape.  Beyond the mixtape, there were several new releases, all of which should dent the Billboard 200.  Those include: The Rolling Stones (Blue & Lonesome), Childish Gambino (“Awaken, My Love!”), John Legend (Darkness and Light), and Kane Brown (Kane Brown).

Photo Credit: Republic