Michael Jackson’s Bad reaches a four-year chart milestone as six of his albums appear on U.K. rankings, including three top 40 hits. American singer, songwriter and dancer Michael Jackson on stage at the Hippodrome de Vincennes, during his “Dangerous World Tour”. (Photo by David Lefranc/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images)
Sygma via Getty Images
Half a dozen albums by Michael Jackson are present on the charts in the United Kingdom this week, which is a common sight these days for the entertainer’s catalog. The King of Pop can always be found with a handful of projects, but 2026 has been especially huge for the late superstar thanks to the release of his namesake biopic Michael, which has turned out to be one of the highest-grossing films at the box office globally.
Half of those Jackson releases appear on the Official Albums chart, which ranks the 100 most popular sets in the country, and amazingly, the trio are all top 40 performers. One of them manages to bring Jackson back to a longevity milestone, one which several of his most popular collections have reached throughout the years.
Michael Jackson’s Bad Reaches Four Years on the Albums Chart
As of this period, Jackson’s classic Bad has lived on the Official Albums chart for 208 weeks – exactly four years. The Official Albums chart, equivalent to the Billboard 200 in the United States, ranks albums and EPs by total consumption. Sales and streaming activity are built into the tally’s methodology. As Bad celebrates its anniversary of sorts, the project climbs back into the top 40, settling at No. 39.
Bad Is Michael Jackson’s Fifth Four-Year-Charting Album
Multiple top performers by Jackson have reached the same landmark figure. Bad is the superstar’s fifth title to make it to four years on the Official Albums chart. Number Ones leads with 589 frames on the tally, followed by Thriller, The Essential and Off the Wall with 287, 276 and 235 turns on the roster, respectively.
Michael Jackson Fills Three Spaces on the Official Albums List
Impressively, Bad is Jackson’s worst performer on the Official Albums chart this week out of his three winners. The Essential nearly conquers the roster again as it lifts from fourth place to second. It is kept back from ruling once more by Here Because of Hope by Ezra Collective, which becomes the group’s first champion. Thriller also gains ground, pushing from No. 35 to No. 31.
The Essential, Thriller and Bad can all be found on not only the Official Albums chart, but also the Official Albums Streaming tally. The compilation, which gathers most of Jackson’s most famous tunes, is comfortably the most-streamed collection in the country. The title has spent 224 weeks somewhere on the roster, 16 of which have been at No. 1. Thriller and Bad both descend by only one rung, landing at Nos. 30 and 36, respectively.
Thriller and Number Ones Remain Bestsellers as Well
Thriller is also a bestseller in the U.K. this week. It lives inside the top 40 on the Official Albums Sales, Official Physical Albums and Official Vinyl Albums charts, settling at Nos. 35, 32 and 31, respectively.
Jackson’s Number Ones is present on the same rankings and simultaneously returns to the Official Vinyl Albums tally, but only barely. The compilation comes in at No. 39, second-to-last place on the 40-spot roster. Number Ones gains ground on the other three tallies as well as the Official Album Downloads chart, where it is Jackson’s only success.
Two More Michael Jackson Albums Chart in the U.K.
Two other projects by Jackson appear on just one ranking apiece in the U.K. Off the Wall becomes a bestseller again, reentering the Official Physical Albums chart – which looks only at the top-selling titles on CD, cassette and vinyl in the country – at No. 94 after once climbing all the way to No. 3. Michael – Songs from the Motion Picture, which essentially operates as another greatest hits compilation, dips from second place to fifth on the Official Soundtrack Albums chart.
Leave a comment