Two projects by Michael Jackson — Bad and Number Ones — rise to new all-time peaks on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 10: Michael Jackson performs on stage during is “HIStory” world tour concert at Ericsson Stadium November 10, 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
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Before Billboard introduced the Top Album Sales chart, Michael Jackson was already counted as one of the bestselling musical artists in the world. In the decades since, he has managed to carve out space on the list more often than not, sending nearly two dozen projects to the roster, both during his lifetime and since his passing.
Jackson’s catalog is still in the midst of a major resurgence that began when the singer’s biopic Michael arrived in theaters this spring. The box office smash has helped many of the late star’s songs and albums debut on lists or rise to new heights on various Billboard-published tallies – and even as the movie leaves cinemas, Jackson’s uptick continues.
Amazingly, not one, but two classics by Jackson soar to never-before-seen highs on the Top Album Sales chart – a feat that speaks to not only Jackson’s popularity, but also the desire among his millions of fans to own his music, and not solely stream it.
Michael Jackson Sends Two Albums to New Highs
This week, Jackson fills four spaces on the 50-rung Top Album Sales chart, which, as its name states, only counts actual purchases of full-lengths and EPs. Other related rosters, such as the Billboard 200, also take into account streaming activity. The King of Pop’s compilation Number Ones jumps from No. 11 to No. 5. Meanwhile, Bad ascends from lucky No. 13 to eleventh place, where Number Ones sat only a few days ago. Those mark new highs for two massively popular releases.
Thriller Misses No. 1 by One Space – Again
A third title by Jackson nearly establishes a new peak on the Top Album Sales chart as well, but misses out on doing so by just one very important space. Thriller, the bestselling traditional studio LP of all time, has somehow never conquered the Top Album Sales ranking, though it has come frustratingly close on multiple occasions. The blockbuster has failed to dominate by a single rung, and that’s exactly what’s happened again this time around.
Thriller moonwalks from No. 8 to No. 2. Jackson is blocked from a fifth career No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart as Olivia Rodrigo’s third leader, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, holds atop the rundown. The title debuted with one of the largest starting sums of 2026 only a few days ago.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Olivia Rodrigo attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cindy Ord/VF26/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
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Off the Wall Also Climbs, But Not to a New Peak
The last collection by Jackson to land on the Top Album Sales chart appears just one space beneath the rising Bad. Off the Wall steps up from No. 15 to No. 12. That’s only a few rungs beneath its No. 8 all-time high.
Thriller Has Charted for More Than 500 Weeks
In terms of longevity, Thriller and Number Ones rank as Jackson’s first and second longest-charting titles on the Top Album Sales ranking. Earlier this year, Thriller cracked 500 weeks as a bestseller, while the Number Ones compilation is up to 219 stays on the list. Bad also recently celebrated its first year on the tally, while Off the Wall, at 38 weeks, will need to hold on for several more months before it hits that same landmark.
Michael Jackson Charts Seven Albums in America
Seven albums by Jackson appear on any Billboard chart this week, with about half of them standing out as bestsellers. Three titles – The Essential Michael Jackson, Xscape and Dangerous – can all be found on the Billboard 200. The first two of those releases are also present on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums lists, while Dangerous only appears on a single roster.
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