Michael Jackson performs during halftime of a 52-17 Dallas Cowboys win over the Buffalo Bills in … [+]
Late October and early November are usually the busiest time of the year for Michael Jackson these days. The late superstar’s single “Thriller” returns to prominence, as it’s one of the biggest hits associated with Halloween. Now, following that tune’s descent as the world moves from one holiday to another, the singer is still doing incredible things on the Billboard charts.
This week, Jackson’s most successful album hits a very special milestone on the Billboard 200. Thriller—the full-length, not the song—makes it to 600 weeks on the ranking of the most-consumed full-lengths in the U.S.
Thriller is now just the tenth album in U.S. history to reach 600 weeks spent on the Billboard 200. The most recent title to reach that mark before Jackson’s blockbuster was Nirvana’s Nevermind, which is now nearly a year on from that success. Currently, the record for the longest-charting title ever on the Billboard 200 still belongs to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, with more than 980 frames spent on the list.
Thriller might have just enjoyed its annual boom in popularity, but that doesn’t mean people are done streaming and buying the set just because Halloween has come and gone once again. The set rises from No. 105 to No. 63 on this week’s Billboard 200. According to Luminate, the title moved just over 14,900 equivalent units in the U.S. last frame.
The title sold so well, it also soars on the similar Top Album Sales chart. More than 8,200 of those nearly 15,000 equivalent units moved are pure purchases. That’s enough to make Thriller the No. 20 bestselling release in America—an incredible position to be in for a set so old.
