'The Greatest Showman' Soundtrack Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart
1/14/2018 by Keith Caulfield
Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum in Twentieth Century Fox’s 'The Greatest Showman'
The soundtrack to the musical drama film The Greatest Showman scores a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as the set earned 104,000 equivalent album units (down 3 percent) in the week ending Jan. 11, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 70,000 were in traditional album sales (down 10 percent).
The Greatest Showman is just the fifth soundtrack in the last 10 years to spend multiple weeks at No. 1.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Jan. 20-dated chart (where The Greatest Showman spends a second week at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Wednesday, Jan. 17 (one day later than normal, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 15).
In the past 10 years, 21 soundtracks have hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and, of those, just five have netted multiple weeks atop the list: The Greatest Showman (two, so far), Suicide Squad: The Album (two, in 2016), Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (two, 2014), Frozen (13, 2014) and Glee: The Music, Volume 3 -- Showstoppers (two, 2010). The last live action musical released in movie theaters to see its soundtrack notch more than a week at No. 1 was the Dreamgirls album, with two weeks in the penthouse back in 2007.
Since The Greatest Showman’s release in theaters on Dec. 20, the movie has earned an estimated $95 million at the U.S. and Canada box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
The Greatest Showman album features performances by the movie’s stars, including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Michelle Williams. Four songs from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Jan. 13, led by “This Is Me,” by Keala Settle and the film’s ensemble.
Back on the new Billboard 200 chart, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) holds at No. 2 with 53,000 units (down 21 percent), while G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned returns to its peak (and debut position) at No. 3 with 38,000 units (down 10 percent).
Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic hits its highest rank in eight months, and returns to the top 10 after more than four months, climbing 15-4 with 37,000 units (up 75 percent). The set's rise is driven by the strong start of its new single, “Finesse,” which has been boosted by a new remix with rapper Cardi B. (The remix is merged with the original version of "Finesse," and contributes to the SEA and TEA units of the song's parent album, as most remixes do.)
The album has not ranked this high since the April 22, 2017-dated list, when it placed at No. 4; and has not been in the top 10 since Sept. 2, 2017, when it was No. 10. The album debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Dec. 10, 2016 chart.
Post Malone’s Stoney ascends 8-5 on the latest Billboard 200, with nearly 37,000 units (down 6 percent), Taylor Swift’s Reputation falls 3-6 with a little over 36,000 units (down 24 percent) and Eminem’s Revival dips 6-7 with 36,000 units (down 11 percent). Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. slides 5-8 with 35,000 units (down 15 percent), Huncho Jack’s Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho is steady at No. 9 with 32,000 units (down 17 percent), and Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All climbs back into the top 10, rising 12-10 with 29,000 units (up 5 percent).