Michael Jackson’s iconic album “Thriller” has climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, reaching its highest position in more than four decades as Halloween-season streaming and new physical editions boosted its popularity, according to Billboard.
On the chart dated 14 November, the 1982 album jumped from No. 13 to No. 2. Its previous appearance at the same position was in 1984, during a record-breaking run that saw it spend 37 weeks at No. 1.
“Thriller” holds the record for the most weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 by an album from a solo artist. Only the “West Side Story” soundtrack has spent longer at No. 1, with 54 weeks between 1962 and 1963.
According to Billboard, “Thriller” generated 55,000 equivalent album units during the tracking week from 30 October to 5 November, an increase of 89 per cent.
The total included 32,000 streaming equivalent album units, 22,000 album sales and 1,000 track equivalent album units. The album’s songs collectively recorded 34.34 million official on-demand streams during the period, with the title track benefiting from renewed interest around Halloween.
Physical releases also contributed to the rise. On 30 October, the album was reissued in three vinyl editions, including two coloured versions and a liquid-filled variant, alongside a cassette edition.
The releases helped push weekly sales to 22,000, the album’s strongest sales performance in nearly four years. Vinyl accounted for 19,000 copies, marking its biggest vinyl-selling week since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991.
The achievement marks Jackson’s highest position on the Billboard 200 in more than a decade. His posthumous album “Xscape” debuted and peaked at No. 2 in May 2014.
“Thriller” has appeared on the Billboard 200 every year since Jackson’s death in June 2009. Renewed interest in the singer, including attention surrounding the biographical film “Michael”, has also helped sustain the album’s recent presence in the chart’s top 20.
