Michael Jackson’s Thriller blocked from finally reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart as Olivia Rodrigo’s latest holds at the summit for a second frame. TOKYO – 1987: Pop Star Michael Jackson performs onstage in 1987 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Michael Jackson’s Thriller is one of the bestselling albums of all time, and it has owned that distinction for a long, long time. In the decades since the singer-songwriter released his masterpiece, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has certified the project as having shifted 34 million equivalent units. That figure – which hasn’t been updated in nearly half a decade, so it is likely much higher – includes pure purchases and streaming equivalents, though the majority of those 34 million represent fans buying the set on CD, cassette, vinyl and via digital download storefronts.
Thriller regularly appears on a number of Billboard charts, including the Top Album Sales tally, which focuses entirely on, as its name states, the bestselling – not most-consumed – albums and EPs in America each week. This time around, Thriller rises and nearly makes it to a position that has thus far eluded the blockbuster.
Michael Jackson Rises to No. 2 With Thriller
Thriller currently sits in the runner-up space on the Top Album Sales chart. Jackson’s project bolts from No. 8 to No. 2 this frame, nearly conquering the roster. Superfans of the late musician – and simply those aware of how successful Thriller has been for so long – may be shocked to learn that the title has never appeared at No. 1 the Top Album Sales chart. No. 2 marks its all-time high, and it has returned to that space multiple times since first peaking in the runner-up rung in December 2022.
Olivia Rodrigo Blocks Thriller From Hitting No. 1
Last week, Olivia Rodrigo debuted her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, atop the purchase-only ranking. In its second turn on the tally, Rodrigo’s third studio LP refuses to move, blocking Jackson’s Thriller from finally gaining control over the roster.
Olivia Rodrigo Easily Wins the Sales Race
Thriller and You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love may sit side-by-side on the current edition of the Top Album Sales chart, but when it came to the race for the throne, it’s clear that Rodrigo was always going to come out on top. You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love sold another 47,300 copies in the U.S. last tracking period, which is a healthy second week sum. That figure is down considerably from the 272,600 that it managed in its opening frame.
Thriller only managed to sell about a third of the current week’s figure. Luminate reports that the Grammy winner for Album of the Year sold just under 14,700 copies between CDs, cassettes, vinyl and digital downloads.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 05: Olivia Rodrigo performs onstage during the Olivia Rodrigo Sold-Out GUTS World Tour at Madison Square Garden on April 05, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
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Olivia Rodrigo Has Charted Three Sales Leaders
Rodrigo has only released three studio efforts during her time in the spotlight, and all of them have led the charge on the Top Album Sales chart. Her debut full-length Sour held on for four frames, while its follow-up Guts commanded the tally for three distinct chart periods.
Only two other collections by Rodrigo, Live From Glastonbury (A BBC Recording) and Guts: The Secret Tracks, an EP, also hit the Top Album Sales chart. The first of those two opened at No. 5 in December 2025, while her EP spent one frame at No. 27 several years back and then slipped away.
Michael Jackson Has Hit No. 1 with Four Albums
Thriller is one of two titles by Jackson to miss out on leading the Top Album Sales chart by one space. Xscape launched at No. 2 in May 2014 and never climbed any higher. The late, great Jackson has seen four projects – Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Invincible and Michael Jackson’s This Is It (Soundtrack) – all manage at least one moment in the spotlight.
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