Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ reaches a decade as a bestseller as ‘Number Ones,’ ‘Off the Wall’ and ‘Bad’ also rank among America’s top sellers. American Pop singer Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009) performs on stage at Madison Square Garden during the ‘Bad Tour,’ New York, New York, March 5, 1988. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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Next year, Michael Jackson’s Thriller will turn 45. The bestselling traditional studio album of all time was released in late November 1982, by which point the superstar had already delivered the title’s lead single “The Girl Is Mine,” a collaboration with his friend Paul McCartney. The set went on to produce seven hit singles, all of which are still regarded among Jackson’s biggest and most beloved.
Thriller remains a bestseller in America, and as it climbs in terms of purchases, the Grammy winner for Album of the Year hits a rare milestone on one of Billboard’s most competitive rundowns.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller Reaches 520 Weeks as a Bestseller
As of this frame, Thriller has spent a decade as one of the bestselling albums in the nation: 520 weeks on the Top Album Sales chart as of this period. Luminate reports that Thriller is still counted as one of the top performers on the list, as it sold just over 8,000 copies across America in the most recently completed tracking frame. That sum is spread across vinyl, CD, cassette and digital downloads.
Thriller Is Michael Jackson’s Longest-Running Sales Smash
Thriller is easily Jackson’s longest-running win on the Top Album Sales chart, but it is not his only collection to make it to triple-digit frames. Number Ones is up to 231 stints on the tally – a figure that grows this time around. The Essential Michael Jackson has ranked on the roster 129 times, although notably, that compilation peaked at No. 53. These days, it wouldn’t even appear on the list, as Billboard shortened the list and it now includes only 50 spaces.
Amazingly, Thriller is not Jackson’s sole winner on the Top Album Sales chart this week. In fact, it’s not even his only top 10. Number Ones returns to the highest tier, lifting from No. 17 to No. 10. Jackson claims a quartet of bestsellers this period, as Off the Wall lifts to No. 30 while Bad improves to No. 35.
Several Classics Have Spent Hundreds of Weeks on the Chart
It’s relatively uncommon for any project to make it to triple-digit frames on the Top Album Sales chart, although there are a number of classics that appear on the roster this frame that have managed a similar showing. In addition to Jackson’s two winners, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is not far behind Thriller, with 515 turns as one of the top-selling releases in the country.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 06: Noah Kahan performs on the main stage during CMA Fest 2025 at Nissan Stadium on June 06, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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Several other efforts, such as My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade, Tame Impala’s Currents, Fallen from Evanescence, another Fleetwood Mac project – the simply-titled Greatest Hits compilation – and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, among others, all find space on the rundown.
While Thriller is one of a small number of full-lengths to spend a decade as a bestseller in America, the blockbuster is not the longest-charting success on the Top Album Sales list this time around. That honor belongs to Metallica’s self-titled set, which is currently up to 764 stints as it returns to the roster. Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers is only one frame away from 750 weeks on the rundown. Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which also bounds back onto the tally, beats Jackson’s Thriller by several months.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller Appears on Six Billboard Charts
Thriller lives on half a dozen Billboard rankings this week and appears inside the top 10 on four of them. Leaving aside the Top Album Sales chart, the blockbuster appears on the Vinyl Albums, Top R&B Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums rankings at Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively. It also sits at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 22 on the Top Streaming Albums tally.
Thriller has spent the least amount of time on the Top Streaming Albums roster, where it also appears lowest at the moment. The collection is up to 25 weeks on that ranking, although the list was only introduced a few years back. Otherwise, Thriller has spent hundreds of weeks on the sales, general consumption and genre-specific rundowns.
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